tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70817198777003451642017-12-01T02:52:31.549-08:00Last Cinema StandingIf you shoot an arrow and it goes real high ... hooray for you.Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.comBlogger324125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-71417313668809065342017-09-05T10:26:00.000-07:002017-09-05T10:26:39.409-07:00Fall of the House of Usher(s): 10 Most Anticipated Movies<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Olk2MvoEiKA/Wa7duZcw76I/AAAAAAAACRQ/rP5mm_rb7hcahpb-4EujRwohMMiohv6bQCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BSquare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="730" height="408" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Olk2MvoEiKA/Wa7duZcw76I/AAAAAAAACRQ/rP5mm_rb7hcahpb-4EujRwohMMiohv6bQCLcBGAs/s640/The%2BSquare.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Ruben Ostlund's Palme d'Or winner, <i>The Square</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Labor Day has passed, the film industry’s official end to summer, and this will go down as the worst summer box office in 25 years. Labor Day weekend was the worst on record. Grosses are way down, which means, given the steep rise in ticket prices, attendance has fallen off a cliff. Studios will fall all over themselves, trying to figure out where they went wrong, then come back next year and repeat the same mistakes. Analysts will present their theories, and some will be compelling, others less so. Ultimately, cause and effect will remain murky, and business will proceed as usual.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There certainly is not one answer to this problem, if we want to call it that, but if I may humbly suggest a possibility: This summer’s movies just were not that good. Audiences see good movies. This is a fact of moviegoing. People go to films with positive reviews and see movies their friends like. Should a movie tick both boxes, so much the better. Over the past four months or so, there has been a dearth of films that meet either category, let alone both.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As someone who spends much of his life in theaters, even I have had a hard time getting excited about any of this year’s crop of films thus far. I hope soon to take a deeper dive into the year so far – both the highs and lows – but suffice it to say I am ready for the fall movie season, when smart movies made by and for adults rule the day.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Last year’s list featured what would turn out to be some of the best films of the year, including Martin Scorsese’s <i>Silence</i>, which was the No. 1 most anticipated film and finished at No. 2 on our year-end best-of list. Beyond that, there were Jeff Nichols’ <i>Loving</i> (No. 3 most anticipated) and Ava DuVernay’s <i>13th</i> (No. 8), which both earned honorable mentions. I have no doubt we will be talking more and more about the following films in the months ahead, so without further ado, Last Cinema Standing’s 10 Most Anticipated Movies of the Fall:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>10. Downsizing, directed by Alexander Payne<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: Dec. 22<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FwVRg0rVP-I" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Payne really started to catch fire around <i>Election</i> in 1998. I was a little later to the party, going into <i>Sideways</i>blind and with no forewarning of the acerbic wit and naked humanity (and naked humans) I would witness. Since then, the director has refined his observational style and honed his ability to make us care about and root for even the schlubbiest schlubs. Here, he reteams with his <i>Sideways</i> and <i>Election</i>co-writer Jim Taylor to take on a fantastical science-fiction premise to which they will no doubt add a grounded sense of reality and frailty.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>9. Suburbicon, directed by George Clooney<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: Oct. 27<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HegUiva5JzA" width="560"></iframe> <div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>A double-dose of Matt Damon to kick things off, this one looks like a wild ride indeed. If the trailer, particularly its final joke, gives you the impression of a latter-day Coen Brothers comedy – think <i>Burn After Reading</i> or <i>Hail, Caesar!</i> – there is a good reason for that. Joel and Ethan Coen share a writing credit with Clooney and his writing partner, Grant Heslov, on the script. While Clooney the director has tackled an array of filmmaking styles to varying degrees of success, this satirical take on suburban paranoia looks to be right in his wheelhouse. With the Coens jumping in, as well, expect this to be one you cannot miss.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>8. Lady Bird, directed by Greta Gerwig<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: Nov. 10<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cNi_HC839Wo" width="560"></iframe> <div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Gerwig is the talented writer-actor behind films such as <i>Mistress America</i> and <i>Frances Ha</i>, and after appearing in three of last year’s best films – <i>Jackie</i>, <i>20th Century Women</i>, and <i>Weiner-Dog</i> – she steps behind the camera with a chance to deliver one of this year’s best. This will be Gerwig’s first solo directorial effort – she co-directed the 2008 mumblecore comedy <i>Nights and Weekends</i> with Joe Swanberg – and she appears to be sticking firmly to what she knows, subbing in her Northern California hometown for her usual New York City milieu. With the promise of a great Saoirse Ronan performance in tow, Gerwig needs only to bring her consistently deft touch with human foibles to make this a sure-fire success.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>7. Kings, directed by Deniz Gamze Erg</b><b>üven<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: TBA (Toronto International Film Festival<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABvQPbunr_o/Wa7d62xZPkI/AAAAAAAACRU/vOYk3n9HQE8Um88W5dAZlWaaS0UqOaSggCLcBGAs/s1600/Kings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABvQPbunr_o/Wa7d62xZPkI/AAAAAAAACRU/vOYk3n9HQE8Um88W5dAZlWaaS0UqOaSggCLcBGAs/s640/Kings.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Halle Berry, in <i>Kings</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ergüven, the writer-director behind the brilliant coming-of-age protest film <i>Mustang</i>, would at first seem an odd choice for this material. A Turkish woman with a French education would not likely jump to the top of most people’s list to direct a film about the Rodney King riots, and indeed, there has been controversy around Ergüven taking on the project. However, she proved with her directorial debut <i>Mustang</i> she is capable of making an angry, powerful film about tearing down the structures that oppress and dehumanize. If that is not precisely what we want from a film about the L.A. Riots, then I don’t know for what it is we are looking.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>6. Battle of the Sexes, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: Sept. 22<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o5ykcuAS1F4" width="560"></iframe> <div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Dayton and Faris do not work nearly often enough. The list of projects the husband-and-wife team have had fall through is extensive and storied. After breaking through with the influential independent hit <i>Little Miss Sunshine</i> in 2006, it took six years for them to return with the underappreciated romantic comedy deconstruction <i>Ruby Sparks</i>. It is now five years since that feature, and <i>Battle of the Sexes</i> arrives. The performances by Emma Stone and Steve Carell look to be stellar, the subject matter timely, and the approach dead-on. Dayton and Faris have been gone from cinemas too long. Let us hope they do not depart so long again.<u><o:p></o:p></u><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, directed by Martin McDonagh<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: Nov. 10<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jit3YhGx5pU" width="560"></iframe> <div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Another director gone from multiplexes since 2012, McDonagh’s absence can be attributed mostly to the fact he is a rock star in the theater scene. The famed Irish playwright has written and directed just three feature films, but each is an event, and <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i> looks like his best chance yet for mainstream cinematic success. Although, if mainstream success were something McDonagh were interested in, I am quite certain he already would have achieved it. Operating in the darkest possible realms of comedy, as always, here McDonagh brings along Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, and Woody Harrelson for a journey that looks to be his most fun but most human yet.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>4. Mother!, directed by Darren Aronofsky<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: Sept. 15<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XpICoc65uh0" width="560"></iframe> <div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Not that she needs the help, but Jennifer Lawrence looks here to be getting the <i>Black Swan</i>treatment from Aronofsky, which is to say the director will run the “it” actress of her generation through the emotional wringer. Aronofsky’s most recent film, <i>Noah</i>, was troubled but unfairly maligned, mostly due to its impossibly high budget. This time, he scales back for the kind of psychological horror story that put him on the map in films such as <i>Pi</i> and <i>Requiem for a Dream</i>. Aronofsky is as much the stylist as ever, and Lawrence seems to be taking her gifts to another level. The combination of the two should produce nothing short of magic.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>3. The Killing of a Sacred Deer, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: Nov. 3<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CQFdGfwChtw" width="560"></iframe> <div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Greek auteur Lanthimos made the jump to English-language features with last year’s wondrous <i>The Lobster</i>, in which he teased out career-best work from Colin Farrell. Farrell now is joined by Nicole Kidman and Alicia Silverstone for a film that won the best screenplay award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Co-written by Lanthimos and his <i>The Lobster</i>collaborator Efthymis Filippou, <i>The Killing of a Sacred Deer</i> seems to take the director’s icy, detached view of human endeavors and marry it to the intense thriller we might expect from someone such as Michael Haneke – think <i>Cache </i>or <i>Funny Games</i>.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>2. The Square, directed by Ruben </b><b>Östlund<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: Oct. 27<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u77vsmBya2w" width="560"></iframe> <div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>As the winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, <i>The Square</i> would already be high on my must-see list. That it comes from Östlund only raises its profile. The Swedish filmmaker’s previous effort, <i>Force Majeure</i>, is among the century’s best films, a landmark of emotional exploration and familial disintegration that should be watched and studied for years to come. If <i>The Square</i>, the satirical targets of which seem fitting for our current era, equals or even nears those heights, it will be a transcendent experience.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>1. Wonder Wheel, directed by Woody Allen<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Release date: Dec. 1<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kLPvi3uFku4/Wa7eDT5Q_YI/AAAAAAAACRY/_PmThbwmXV0ZtN5wzwaBFGIVllXyCUqSACLcBGAs/s1600/Wonder%2BWheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kLPvi3uFku4/Wa7eDT5Q_YI/AAAAAAAACRY/_PmThbwmXV0ZtN5wzwaBFGIVllXyCUqSACLcBGAs/s640/Wonder%2BWheel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />My favorite filmmaker directing my favorite actress, there could be no film more anticipated for me. Allen’s late-career output at this point is famous for its unevenness. For every <i>Match Point</i>, there is a <i>Whatever Works</i>. For every <i>Blue Jasmine</i>, there is a <i>To Rome with Love</i>. I am a fan even of much of the director’s most slapdash work, while still admitting to some of its haphazard construction. The reason: Despite it all, Allen still has the potential to dazzle – <i>Vicky Cristina Barcelona</i> and <i>Midnight in Paris</i>being just two recent examples.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In <i>Wonder Wheel</i>, Kate Winslet is said to deliver a career-topping performance. The New York Film Festival has selected it as the closing-night film, not an honor bestowed lightly. It is scheduled at the height of awards season, whereas much of Allen’s work lately has been offered up as a summer trifle. For these reasons and more, there could be no other film at the top of this list.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">*<i>A quick note: Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film surely would have made this list if I could be reasonably certain it would come out this year. I cannot be. As of now, it has no official title and a tentative release date at the end of December. Anderson can work as long as he wants to make the best possible film, and when it finally does come out – with what is sure to be another brilliant Daniel Day-Lewis performance, I will be first in line.<o:p></o:p></i></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-11986983349725118722017-04-04T12:35:00.002-07:002017-04-04T12:47:56.101-07:00First Tuesday Book Club: Life Itself<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K8q4GOXw84k/WOP0WXJ4T6I/AAAAAAAACQw/FRXfWbXZdagzl7BUeVmBHsa5vSi-RzGMACLcB/s1600/Book%2BClub-April.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K8q4GOXw84k/WOP0WXJ4T6I/AAAAAAAACQw/FRXfWbXZdagzl7BUeVmBHsa5vSi-RzGMACLcB/s640/Book%2BClub-April.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Max in writer-director Adam Elliot's <i>Mary and Max</i>, joining us this month for the Last Cinema First Tuesday Book Club</td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /></i><i>Welcome to the Last Cinema First Tuesday Book Club, a monthly dive into the world of film through the pages of books. From memoirs and biographies to historical accounts and critiques, we will try to view the legacy of cinema through the words of those who shaped it and those who have explored it.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The Last Cinema First Tuesday Book Club presents:<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Life Itself: A Memoir</i>, by Roger Ebert (2011)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Four years ago today, Roger Ebert died. If you will forgive the whimsical contradiction, it feels like so much longer that we have been without him, but in ways real and imagined, it seems he has never left. Such is the impact of a great man.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I do not need to tell you Ebert was my favorite writer; that I have written copious words to that effect <a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-favorite-writer-two-years-without.html">here</a> and <a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-movie-review-life-itself.html">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I do not need to tell you Ebert’s prose stands alongside that of any of the giants held dear by the literary canon; that he could toss off in the middle of paragraphs words of such beauty and poetry other, lesser writers would base entire novels around them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I do not need to tell you his opinions shaped the cultural conversation; that to this day, no lover of film goes to the cinema without wondering, ‘What would Roger think?’<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t_YRa28LYpE/WOP1N0yPxwI/AAAAAAAACQ0/gEQMKnf6j14A3dq4MnAQBVV8mMg1fC8FACLcB/s1600/Roger%2BEbert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t_YRa28LYpE/WOP1N0yPxwI/AAAAAAAACQ0/gEQMKnf6j14A3dq4MnAQBVV8mMg1fC8FACLcB/s320/Roger%2BEbert.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Roger Ebert, in his office</td></tr></tbody></table>I do not need to tell you praise from Ebert could craft the legacy of a film, of a director; that much of what we appreciate in the past half-century and more of moviemaking we owe both directly and indirectly to his influence.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I do not need to tell you any of that because you are here and, thus, must already know, but it bears repeating Ebert was the first and last word for most of the film-going public on what mattered at the movieplex.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In 2012, I was writing a feature on <i>Little Miss Sunshine</i> filmmakers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris in advance of their second feature, <i>Ruby Sparks</i>. While interviewing Dayton’s mother for the piece, I mentioned to her Ebert had given the film three stars and written kindly of it. She said, “Well, if Roger liked it, that’s good.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Life Itself</i> is a memoir filled with the recollections of a life well lived, deeply felt, and extensively explored, but it is as much about the idea of memory as the memories themselves. Though a fair portion of its chapters were pulled from the blog that made Ebert foremost among the internet commentariat, a majority of it was written as he approached the end of his life. He knew it was coming as his body betrayed him time and again – cancer – but his mind was as alive as or more so than ever.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The prologue of <i>Life Itself</i> is titled “Memory,” and it ends thusly:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>The blog let loose the flood of memories. Told sometimes that I should write my memoirs, I failed to see how I possibly could. I had memories, I had lived a good life in an interesting time, but I was at a loss to see how I could organize the accumulation of a lifetime. It was the blog that taught me how. It pushed me into first-person confession, it insisted on the personal, it seemed to organize itself in manageable fragments. Some of these words, since rewritten and expanded, first appeared in blog forms. Most are here for the first time. They come pouring forth in a flood of relief.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">From there, we are whisked away into the world of the most prominent film critic of his time or any other. All the highlights are there, the stories you want to hear about the glitterati and the celebrities, the film festivals and the films, but those tales – as wonderfully told as they are – are but a small fraction of the book’s intrigue. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Its heart and soul exist in Ebert’s reflections on his youth, particularly regarding his mother, his friends and their wild times in the Chicago newspaper scene of the late 1960s and ’70s, and most of all Chaz, his wife, the love of his life, and the person he credits with helping him hang onto this life as long as he did, in more ways than one.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He writes in chapter 19 “All By Myself Alone”:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wUw59dFGWrc/WOP1V_NmDvI/AAAAAAAACQ4/vDBWYsSoeLgcmzmgsMW0jBeQ6nsbDkL7wCLcB/s1600/Roger%2Band%2BChaz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wUw59dFGWrc/WOP1V_NmDvI/AAAAAAAACQ4/vDBWYsSoeLgcmzmgsMW0jBeQ6nsbDkL7wCLcB/s320/Roger%2Band%2BChaz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Roger and Chaz Ebert</td></tr></tbody></table><i>I may appear to suffer from some sort of compulsive repetition syndrome, but these rituals are important to me. I have many places where I sit and think, “I have been here before, I am here now, and I will be here again.” Sometimes, lost in reverie, I remember myself approaching across the same green, or down the same footpath, in 1962 or 1983, or many other times. Sometimes Chaz comes along on my rituals, but just as often I go alone. Sometimes Chaz will say she’s going shopping, or visiting a friend, or just staying in the room reading in bed. “Why don’t you go and touch your bases?” she’ll ask me. I know she sympathizes. These secret visits are a way for me to measure the wheel of the years and my passage through life. Sometimes on this voyage through life we need to sit on the deck and regard the waves.</i><br /><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">More than anything else, Ebert’s memoir is an opportunity to sit on the deck with one of the great communicators of his time and regard the waves of one of the great lives of the 20th and 21st centuries. One wishes perhaps there had been just one more high tide, one more swell on the seemingly endless ocean of words and ideas he left us.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is like the exchange between Steve Carell’s and Keira Knightley’s characters as they face down the possibility of oblivion at the end of Lorena Scafaria’s <i>Seeking a Friend for the End of the World</i>. She says: “It isn’t enough time.” He replies: “It never would have been.” And isn’t that always the case? When we lose a loved one or a hero, we cry over the life lost, yes, but more, I believe, we cry over the life not yet lived. We wish for one more smile, one more joke, one more kind word, and while we recognize it could never be enough, well, at least we would have had one more.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I do not only think of Ebert when I sit in the dark of the cinema, though I always think of him when I am there. Rather, I think of him also when I read the news, when I look out on the world and wonder what the hell has happened. As cited before in this space, Ebert was the person who said movies are “like a machine that generates empathy.” I would argue Ebert’s writing functions in much the same way because throughout his life, particularly on his blog but in all his work, he focused on the experiences of others, on their lives, on their hopes, dreams, and fears. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He understood not one among us is better than any other, and he pulled no punches in calling out the hypocrisy and absurdity of believing any differently. Sometimes I am thankful he did not live to see the ugly turn this world and this country in particular have taken. But at other times, I wish we had just one more piece from him, one more reflection, one more word about the state of things. Maybe it would not change the state of things, but at least we would have one more wave to ride gently across the sea before we came crashing down again on the reality of the shore.<o:p></o:p><br /><br /><i>Next month: </i>Young Orson<i>, by Patrick McGilligan</i></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-16368191025557160342017-03-07T07:00:00.000-08:002017-03-07T07:00:32.735-08:00First Tuesday Book Club: Silver Screen Fiend<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dH3fg0dm1fc/WL5u563mDQI/AAAAAAAACQc/vH8bxUy123sUwbb9Up1CPrT3SEfiaRawQCLcB/s1600/BookClub-March.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dH3fg0dm1fc/WL5u563mDQI/AAAAAAAACQc/vH8bxUy123sUwbb9Up1CPrT3SEfiaRawQCLcB/s640/BookClub-March.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's <i>Rear Window</i>, joining us this month for the Last Cinema First Tuesday Book Club.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Welcome to the Last Cinema First Tuesday Book Club. This marks the inaugural column in what I hope will be a monthly series joining some of my favorite things: film, writing about film, reading about film, and book reports. Okay, perhaps leave that last one off the list, though if there is a way to turn something ostensibly fun and relaxing into work or a chore, I will find it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In that spirit, I thought I would make use of all the time I spend reading – when I could be watching movies or enjoying a sunny day, god forbid – and turn it into a project for the site here. It seemed best to wait until after Oscars season to tackle another big project, but with that in the rearview mirror and the next nowhere on the horizon, let’s dig into something new.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Have no fears. This remains a cinema site, first and foremost, and in keeping with that policy, we will be discussing books about the movies. I almost never read fiction. The last fiction book I read for pleasure, in fact, was Richard Yates’ marvelous <i>Revolutionary Road</i> in 2008 before the film version was released. I am certain I am missing out on some fantastic literature, but non-fiction appeals to the journalist in me, whether as a well-researched deep dive into history or a subjectively involuted memoir documenting an extraordinary life.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My goal is to make these columns fun and engaging – a goal I seek with varied success in all my writing. These will not be book reports, not really reviews even. They are my personal reactions to these works, and I hope, if you have read them, you will share yours. I’ll include next month’s book at the end of the piece, just in case anyone would like to read up in advance and join the discussion. So, here we go. Let’s have some fun.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The Last Cinema First Tuesday Book Club presents:<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life from an Addiction to Film</i>, by Patton Oswalt (2015)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It should be immediately clear from the title alone why I chose to kick off this series with Patton Oswalt’s 2015 memoir, which chronicles the four years from May 20, 1995, to May 20, 1999, when the comedian locked himself in a cinema cell and lost the key. Hollywood and pop culture in general have produced countless addiction memoirs, but none follows the path of Oswalt’s journey into the church of cinema and back out into the light.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The beautiful thing about autobiographies and autobiographical memoirs is the author can never be anyone but himself or herself. The best feature interesting people telling the stories of their lives in interesting ways and read as naturally as if the author were trading tales over drinks with a group of close friends. The author’s personality necessarily shines through, and the comedian and natural showman in Oswalt appears on every page of <i>Silver Screen Fiend</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The one-page introduction concludes with this paragraph:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“This will be either the most interesting or the most boring addiction memoir you’ve ever read. I can’t promise it ever gets ‘harrowing,’ but I can promise that I tried – I really tried – to make it funny. Here we go.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Oswalt, of course, needn’t have been so earnest in his assurances. The book is funny because he is funny, and while he correctly points out it never matches the depths of despair of its addiction-chronicling ilk, that is precisely what makes it such an engaging and relatable read. We all have vices that are mostly innocuous and simply make up part of who we are. Coffee comes to mind as particularly popular. Most of these things will not destroy us and certainly would not be worthy of a book, however brief – <i>Silver Screen Fiend</i> runs a brisk 222 pages, including a 33-page appendix – but they belong to us and illuminate parts of ourselves we may not even have known were there.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Oswalt turned to cinema to mask or avoid his true needs, using his addiction to satisfy on the surface a feeling that ran much deeper. Like scratching your coat when it is your skin that itches, this can only work so long. Oswalt’s addiction to the movies coincided with his early rise in the alternative stand-up comedy world, a secret club the book chronicles just as lucidly and just as humorously as that of the “movie freaks” and “sprocket fiends” of the cinema, as he dubs them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He moves to Los Angeles to pursue his artistic dreams and at the same time discovers the New Beverly Cinema, which would become his home for four years. Coping with the upheaval caused by his new surroundings, his fledgling career, and general mid-20s malaise, Oswalt immerses himself in a whole universe of repertory screenings and revival houses, classic film marathons and B-movie madness. He details his travails as he races from theater to comedy club and back to theater, trying to jumpstart a career while living in fear of missing the opening credits.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is absolutely exhilarating and all-too familiar to one such as me. Here, I was going to tell of my much-storied Year of A Thousand Movies, which those who lived through it with me will remember, hopefully with some small amount of fondness. However, I realized to do so would require more words than I have space or time. If I ever get around to writing that book – that mythical work of literature, which if completed, means I as a writer will have actually accomplished something in my life – I may start there. Suffice it to say, I have traveled many a quixotic path in my film journey, a fact which will surprise no frequent reader of this site. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zOmf7r_g1bs/WL5vSBwEdmI/AAAAAAAACQg/Mwgt6dAIeroD4y-iG-lETcGtQkSG4jk5wCLcB/s1600/Silver%2BScreen%2BFiend%2Bsigned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zOmf7r_g1bs/WL5vSBwEdmI/AAAAAAAACQg/Mwgt6dAIeroD4y-iG-lETcGtQkSG4jk5wCLcB/s320/Silver%2BScreen%2BFiend%2Bsigned.jpg" width="198" /></a>In the details, Oswalt’s story is unique, but its larger themes ring true for us all. I had the good fortune to see Oswalt speak at a book signing for <i>Silver Screen Fiend</i>the day of its release. He spoke eloquently and passionately about many of the book’s major themes, but one in particular struck me, and I know it struck my companions that day, as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Oswalt’s odyssey ends where it began four years later to the day at the New Beverley Cinema in L.A. By this time, he has gotten to know the theater’s longtime owner and programmer, Sherman Torgan, quite well. On this final day, Torgan tells Oswalt: “Figured you’d be handing me a script to read by now.” There are many little moments Oswalt details that pulled him out of his addiction, but this one felt monumental to me in reading it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In relating the story during his book-signing appearance, Oswalt equated it to downloading and uploading. He spent four years downloading movies but forgot to upload anything back into the system. He began his obsessive movie watching with the goal of learning how to make a film by diffusion, soaking in the language of the cinema so that he might speak it as fluently as those he observed onscreen. By the end, however, the obsession became the goal in itself. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Torgan’s gentle jibe hit Oswalt like a sack of stones, and it hit me similarly when Oswalt gave it voice. I have spent my life downloading – watching films and television, listening to music, reading books, a never-ending procession of consumption. I have tried my best to give back, to upload something of value, but I long deluded myself into believing it was enough. I spent far too much of my youth downloading to have made up for it yet, but I’ve tried – I’ve really tried – to be better. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Silver Screen Fiend</i>is an amusing, well-told tale of navigating your young adulthood, battling your demons, pursuing your dreams, and finding major triumphs in minor victories. It is worth the read for these reasons alone, but its true value lies in its ability to inspire. Any among us who have aspirations of producing art have surely spent our lives consuming art. <i>Silver Screen Fiend</i> is at its best when it jolts us out of the complacency of consumption and instills in us anew the need to create.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Next month: </i>Life Itself<i>, by Roger Ebert</i></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-71457911083072257342017-02-27T11:29:00.000-08:002017-02-27T11:29:24.589-08:00Wrap it up: La La Land huge, but Moonlight triumphs to close out Oscars season<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6muy4a92PHk/WLR8HSXFlHI/AAAAAAAACPw/ngTpCaaUEKk1yQXtVcLBP1RWE5V0A6B2wCLcB/s1600/Barry%2BJenkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6muy4a92PHk/WLR8HSXFlHI/AAAAAAAACPw/ngTpCaaUEKk1yQXtVcLBP1RWE5V0A6B2wCLcB/s640/Barry%2BJenkins.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Writer-director Barry Jenkins celebrates onstage after his film <i>Moonlight</i>&nbsp;won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Even after a night of sleep, it’s still hard to fathom what went down at the Academy Awards yesterday evening. Writer-director Barry Jenkins’ brilliant, beautiful coming-of-age story <i>Moonlight</i> took home Best Picture after an absurd envelope mix-up led to the announcement of <i>La La Land</i>as winner initially. We talked about the error a lot last night in the immediate aftermath. Today, I want to shift the focus back to the awards and the winners.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The biggest question is how the awards prospects of <i>La La Land</i> were so badly misjudged. Now, make no mistake, Damien Chazelle’s musical romance was one of the night’s bigger winners, taking home six awards, but its haul was projected to be much greater. It was nominated by and won with essentially every industry guild where it was eligible. It was widely loved. It was a box-office smash. It looked unstoppable, so what caused it to stumble at the finish line?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The most likely answer is the preferential ballot. Voters are asked to rank the Best Picture nominees 1-9. The film with the fewest votes after the first round is eliminated, and the votes are redistributed to the No. 2 films on those ballots. This process is repeated until a movie ends up with 50 percent plus one vote. The victory of <i>Moonlight</i>suggests that it not only appeared No. 1 on a lot of ballots but was also many voters’ second- or third-favorite film of the bunch.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Let’s take a look at how the whole evening played out:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>Picture &amp; Director</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aT8XVzFR9t8/WLR8ZA5pPII/AAAAAAAACP0/IATBBgg8OyIY8q0UQkw_H2BogQ57EwqrACLcB/s1600/Moonlight%2Bwinners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aT8XVzFR9t8/WLR8ZA5pPII/AAAAAAAACP0/IATBBgg8OyIY8q0UQkw_H2BogQ57EwqrACLcB/s400/Moonlight%2Bwinners.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><i>Moonlight</i>&nbsp;producers Jeremy Kleiner and Adele Romanski with Jenkins</td></tr></tbody></table>This is the fourth year in the last five Picture and Director have split. Once seen as inseparable awards – of course if you directed the Best Picture, how could you not be the Best Director? – the preferential ballot and the expansion of the Best Picture lineup have created a schism. Now, it seems like the most audacious or breathtaking film from a technical standpoint wins Director, while the most important, best-told story wins Picture.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In each of the last four years featuring a split – <i>Birdman</i> took home both awards in 2014 – this dynamic holds true. In 2012, <i>Argo</i>, a well-made thriller about nations coming together in an act of quiet heroism, took picture, while Ang Lee won Director for the visually masterful <i>Life of Pi</i>. In 2013, <i>12 Years a Slave</i> took home the top prize, for my money the greatest film ever to win Best Picture, while Alfonso Cuarón won Director for the technically astounding <i>Gravity</i>. Last year, <i>Spotlight</i>, the handsome drama about the team of journalists that uncovered the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, won Picture, while Alejandro González Iñárritu took director for the formally brilliant <i>The Revenant</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This year repeats that same split. While I felt Jenkins was the more deserving winner, it is hard to argue with Chazelle’s accomplishment in bringing an old-school Hollywood musical firmly into the modern age while losing none of the classical charm. Chazelle is a star on the rise, and I cannot wait to see his next picture, based on the life of Neil Armstrong and starring Ryan Gosling as the first man on the moon. I imagine another visual feast, well told. It seems likely we will see him back at this ceremony.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jenkins, meanwhile, should get a profound career boost from this. His first feature film, <i>Medicine for Melancholy</i>, was trending on Twitter this morning. I doubt many had heard of it prior to yesterday’s ceremony. Eight years went by between Jenkins’ first film and his second, <i>Moonlight</i>. If the industry is smart, we won’t have to wait eight years for his third. I doubt we will.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>The acting categories</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F3fitPZl-mE/WLR80kO1eMI/AAAAAAAACP4/ivyYGLcCjVco8rh2G1tubJ4JR_AIgtlmQCLcB/s1600/Casey%2BAffleck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F3fitPZl-mE/WLR80kO1eMI/AAAAAAAACP4/ivyYGLcCjVco8rh2G1tubJ4JR_AIgtlmQCLcB/s400/Casey%2BAffleck.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Casey Affleck wins Best Actor for <i>Manchester by the Sea</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table>These went precisely as predicted – Casey Affleck (<i>Manchester by the Sea</i>) for Best Actor, Emma Stone (<i>La La Land</i>) for Actress, Mahershala Ali (<i>Moonlight</i>) for Supporting Actor, and Viola Davis (<i>Fences</i>) for Supporting Actress. Ali and Davis knocked it out of the park with their heartfelt, moving speeches. Stone was gracious and humble, while Affleck just seemed in utter shock. One of the best crowd reaction shots of the night came in the image of two-time Oscar winner Ben Affleck crying tears of pride and joy as his younger brother reached the pinnacle of their profession.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>The screenplays</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jenkins, who was not a nominated producer on <i>Moonlight</i>, won his only Oscar of the night for his adapted screenplay, an award he happily shared with Tarell Alvin McCraney on whose play the film was based. Their speech was elegant, impassioned, and important. Another playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kenneth Lonergan earned Best Original Screenplay for <i>Manchester by the Sea</i>. It was a wonderful moment for Lonergan, and I know his was a victory many people wanted to see.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>The crafts</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l8B8cpIR9sM/WLR9ESF0LMI/AAAAAAAACQA/aZkGIfzy6s8yAMts3VkGq-uuic8EZTATgCLcB/s1600/Hacksaw%2BRidge%2BO%2527Connell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l8B8cpIR9sM/WLR9ESF0LMI/AAAAAAAACQA/aZkGIfzy6s8yAMts3VkGq-uuic8EZTATgCLcB/s400/Hacksaw%2BRidge%2BO%2527Connell.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Kevin O'Connell (center) wins his first Oscar from 21 nominations.</td></tr></tbody></table><i>La La Land</i> picked up four below-the-line awards, predictably winning both music categories, as well as Cinematography and Production Design. Elsewhere, the Academy spread the love at the expense of <i>La La Land</i>. <i>Arrival</i> surprised in Sound Editing, while <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> pulled off a huge upset in Sound Mixing. Rarely do Best Picture-nominated musicals lose that award, or musicals in general when they are cited, but Kevin O’Connell finally made it up on the stage in another of the night’s best moments. The 21-time nominee is now an Oscar winner. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> also picked up Editing, with the Academy falling in love once again with the big, flashy action sequences of a wartime action picture, and the Academy reaffirmed its love for costume designer Colleen Atwood, who seemed genuinely bowled over by winning her fourth award. It was the first Oscar for the <i>Harry Potter</i> series, as well. <i>Suicide Squad</i> won Makeup and Hairstyling, a deserved honor for the wonderful artists who went home with the award but a certification of <i>Suicide Squad</i> as perhaps one of the worst Academy Award-winning movies in history, certainly recent history. <i>The Jungle Book</i>’s Visual Effects win was well deserved for an overall underrated movie.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">While I was of course pulling for Lin-Manuel Miranda, who seemed to be having a great time last night, in Original Song, it is hard to argue with a <i>La La Land</i> win. However, I do wish “Audition (The Fools Who Dream” had pulled ahead of winning composition “City of Stars.” “Audition” really is the film’s signature number. Composer Justin Hurtwitz won for both Song and Score, and Chazelle has to be happy his longtime buddy won for their collaboration.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Of the nine Best Picture nominees, three were shut out completely with <i>Lion</i> going 0-for-6, <i>Hell or High Water</i> 0-for-4, and <i>Hidden Figures</i> 0-for-3. <i>La La Land </i>led with six wins, while <i>Moonlight</i> finished second with three, all in above-the-line categories. <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> and <i>Manchester by the Sea</i>each earned two awards, while <i>Fences</i>and <i>Arrival</i> went home with one apiece. No film outside the Best Picture lineup won multiple awards, which since the expansion of the category has been the norm.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>Documentary, Foreign, Animated, the Shorts</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Apart from <i>Moonlight</i>’s Best Picture victory, I was most overjoyed to see my No. 1 film of the year take home Best Documentary. Director Ezra Edelman’s <i>O.J.: Made in America</i> is a towering achievement and one of the finest examples of the form. I could not be happier for him and am so pleased the Academy saw fit to recognize this film’s monumental achievement.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JUXJUamjgF8/WLR9VsMROhI/AAAAAAAACQE/NveXyvigasYZ4rC_Jx8SVaKAqvnofMEUgCLcB/s1600/Anousheh%2BAnsari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JUXJUamjgF8/WLR9VsMROhI/AAAAAAAACQE/NveXyvigasYZ4rC_Jx8SVaKAqvnofMEUgCLcB/s400/Anousheh%2BAnsari.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Iranian-American astronaut Anousheh Ansari accepts on behalf of Asghar Farhadi.</td></tr></tbody></table>While politics were front and center all night in host Jimmy Kimmel’s material, the speeches, and the films, nowhere were they felt more than in Best Foreign Language Film. Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s <i>The Salesman</i> brought home the gold, but the filmmaker chose not to attend the ceremony in protest and out of respect for his countrymen and peoples all over the world unfairly targeted by the U.S. president’s inhumane and frankly un-American immigration ban.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is an open question whether the controversy raised the film’s profile in voters’ minds and made it the must-vote-for movie in the category over early frontrunner <i>Toni Erdmann</i>. The political climate, however, should take nothing away from Farhadi’s film, which is an astounding achievement, and its victory provided another of the night’s brightest moments. Iranian-American astronaut and entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari accepted the award on Farhadi’s behalf and read a speech from the filmmaker blasting the travel ban and exalting the shared humanity that defines us all.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Best Animated Feature was also a triumph for shared humanity with <i>Zootopia</i>, Disney’s fable about overcoming racism and prejudice, taking the award. Award co-presenter Mexican actor Gael García Bernal took the opportunity onstage to blast the proposed border wall, a politically charged moment that was perfectly in keeping with the evening’s theme.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Also keeping with the theme were wins by <i>Sing</i> for Live Action Short – a film about joining together to confront abuses of power – and <i>The White Helmets</i> for Documentary Short – another show of support by the Academy for the peoples of the Middle East. Meanwhile, <i>Piper</i> finally put Pixar back on the stage for Animated Short after a 15-year drought for the company. It is a truly great film, both as a technical marvel and a touching tale of parenthood.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>The final analysis</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our last “final analysis” before we close the book on this Oscar season. It has been a tumultuous year, to say the least. World events have rightly overshadowed the cinema to some degree. I understand how for some it can be difficult to care about handing gold statues to mostly rich people, but for nearly half of American history, the movies have been there for us. Through two world wars, Vietnam, and Iraq. Through a Great Depression, a Black Monday, and a Great Recession. Through 20 presidential administrations and now a 21st. The movies aren’t going anywhere, and I don’t see anything wrong with celebrating that.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Moonlight</i> is a wonderful winner, whose ultimate message of empathy is among the most important we could have in these trying times. I hope many more people discover this fantastic little film as a result of this award. Like <i>12 Years a Slave</i> before it and <i>Schindler’s List</i> and <i>Casablanca</i>, its victory means something and will stand the test of time. The world is a disturbing place right now, filled with hate and fear and deep feelings of mistrust. <i>Moonlight</i> is a film that allows us to step into the world of another and love, not hate, embrace, not fear, and understand one another deeper than perhaps we could have before. In short, it is a perfect film for the here and the now.<o:p></o:p><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LmU400oTVAw/WLR9rUdJT0I/AAAAAAAACQI/FTlrZujFKtE_vkGft7nv_e58Xtqw6yb6gCLcB/s1600/Moonlight%2Bbeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LmU400oTVAw/WLR9rUdJT0I/AAAAAAAACQI/FTlrZujFKtE_vkGft7nv_e58Xtqw6yb6gCLcB/s640/Moonlight%2Bbeach.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-9382026255322125782017-02-26T22:26:00.001-08:002017-02-26T22:26:54.778-08:00La di da, la di da, La La … Moonlight: Best Picture winner stuns in more ways than one<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uIhqKulwjr0/WLPF3NS_hMI/AAAAAAAACO4/OyI0X1-X-bkXpREwqc93oZcfZqYN-OrawCLcB/s1600/Moonlight%2Bwins%2BBest%2BPicture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uIhqKulwjr0/WLPF3NS_hMI/AAAAAAAACO4/OyI0X1-X-bkXpREwqc93oZcfZqYN-OrawCLcB/s640/Moonlight%2Bwins%2BBest%2BPicture.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Writer-director Barry Jenkins accepts the Academy Award for Best Picture for <i>Moonlight</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I am still processing what I just saw. The erroneous announcement of <i>La La Land</i> as Best Picture will go down as the biggest gaffe in Academy Awards history. There can be none bigger. <i>Moonlight</i> is your Best Picture winner of 2016. It is the most deserving of the nominated films, and writer-director Barry Jenkins and his cast and crew earned their spot in the sun. But, wow, what a way to step into that moment.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Your heart just sinks for the producers of <i>La La Land</i>, particularly Jordan Horowitz, who was standing at the microphone, pouring his heart out in gratitude, and clutching his Oscar when that frankly shocking announcement took place. I cannot begin to imagine the heartbreak to have achieved your dream for nearly a full minute before it is dashed to pieces on a stage in front of 100 million viewers the world over. Horowitz was incredibly gracious, standing tall in the face of an impossible moment, and stating his pride at getting to hand the award over to such a remarkable film as <i>Moonlight</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Best Picture presenter Warren Beatty’s explanation was both reasonable and confounding, leaving several questions, including how he ended up with the wrong card in his hands. Most importantly, though, the Academy has safeguards in place for just such an occurrence, so how did the folks behind the scenes allow the <i>La La Land</i>filmmakers onstage and almost completely through their speeches before correcting their mistake?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPeD_6Arntg/WLPGFX1aCNI/AAAAAAAACO8/4gmdAFnBdXkOtWYOdjPT8G3301tJd3KhACLcB/s1600/La%2BLa%2BLand%2Bmistake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPeD_6Arntg/WLPGFX1aCNI/AAAAAAAACO8/4gmdAFnBdXkOtWYOdjPT8G3301tJd3KhACLcB/s400/La%2BLa%2BLand%2Bmistake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>La La Land</i>&nbsp;producer Jordan Horowitz shows the card naming <i>Moonlight</i>&nbsp;Best Picture.</td></tr></tbody></table>It was an embarrassment of great magnitude for everyone but the artists involved. It stole away what would have been a truly stunning moment of victory for <i>Moonlight</i>, a moment that would have gone down as one of the greatest in recent Academy history, and turned it into a circus. We are not more than a half-hour removed from that moment as I type this, and it remains hard to understand what we witnessed. I am overjoyed for Jenkins and <i>Moonlight</i>, but I will not feel the full weight of the win until tomorrow, when the fog of this absurd ending hopefully will have cleared.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The shame is that this ceremony was on its way to being one of the best Oscars ceremonies in a long time. Jimmy Kimmel made for a wonderfully funny, self-effacing host, if not particularly fleet for an evening that ran just a tad long. The recurring gag with the snacks falling from the ceiling was delightful, and the trick of bringing in a busload of tourists for the most amazing surprise party in history was inspired.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The winners gave uniformly magnificent speeches that spoke to everyone across the world and delivered messages of love, hope, acceptance, and defiance in the face of oppression. In particular, Best Supporting Actress winner Viola Davis stole the show – at least until the evening was hijacked by a misplaced envelope. Wins for movies like <i>The Salesman</i>, <i>The White Helmets</i>, and <i>O.J.: Made in America</i> showed a streak of protest ran deep through these awards, and the power of their victories hopefully will outlast the memory of the only moment anyone will talk about tomorrow and the next day and the next.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Moonlight</i>’s victory, even apart from its circumstances, was a genuine stunner, but there were indications throughout the night Damien Chazelle’s front-running Hollywood musical was vulnerable. The first came in when Colleen Atwood picked up her fourth career Oscar for Best Costume Design for <i>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them</i>, beating out Mary Zophres’ work on <i>La La Land</i>. If Chazelle and Co. were going to sweep, it would have started there.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Next came the sound awards, which went to <i>Arrival </i>(Sound Editing) and <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> (Sound Mixing). <i>La La Land</i> would have been a mild surprise in Sound Editing, but rarely do nominated musicals lose Sound Mixing. By that point, the presumed juggernaut was 0-for-3. The headline in the sound categories, though, really should be Kevin O’Connell, a winner for <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> and no longer the record holder for most nominations without a win. On his 21st try, O’Connell finally made it onto the stage, and it was among the best moments of the night.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>La La Land</i> did not pick up its first award of the night until nearly two hours into the show for Best Production Design, but after losing Best Editing to <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i>, it felt like something might be in the air. A lot of movies with no realistic shot at the top prize were picking up awards that had been earmarked by most pundits, yours truly included, for <i>La La Land</i>. Meanwhile, <i>Moonlight</i>kicked off the proceedings with a well-deserved win for Mahershala Ali as Best Supporting Actor. Jenkins and playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney later picked up Best Adapted Screenplay, while Chazelle lost Original Screenplay to Kenneth Lonergan for <i>Manchester by the Sea</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0hJTTqIDt90/WLPGXxnuUiI/AAAAAAAACPA/8--Vf2pK-lcd0iWlO6Mj4oY4v-ON8JlZACLcB/s1600/Viola%2BDavis%2Bwins%2BOscar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0hJTTqIDt90/WLPGXxnuUiI/AAAAAAAACPA/8--Vf2pK-lcd0iWlO6Mj4oY4v-ON8JlZACLcB/s400/Viola%2BDavis%2Bwins%2BOscar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Viola Davis wins Best Supporting Actress for <i>Fences</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table>Heading into the final four awards of the night, <i>La La Land</i> had gone just 4-for-10, bolstered by a pair of wins for Original Song and Original Score that were as good as preordained, though on this night, such impressions were proved foolish at best. However, when Chazelle picked up Best Director and Emma Stone Best Actress – in between Casey Affleck <i>(Manchester by the Sea</i>) beat out Denzel Washington (<i>Fences</i>) at the wire for Best Actor – it felt like the musical was back on track. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Six awards in tow, <i>La La Land</i> was back and chugging its way to the big one, which it won ever-so briefly. Its train was not just derailed, though. It was a crash of epic proportions, and all the blame falls on the shoulders of the Academy. The group’s detractors will laugh and point, and the U.S. president, perhaps with nothing better to do with his time, will probably tweet derisively. There is no doubt Hollywood’s biggest night ended in unprecedented fashion, a manner that will overshadow, hopefully only in the short term, all the good that was accomplished.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In time, I hope the underlying truths of the evening will lodge better in the cultural consciousness than a poorly timed mistake. For roughly the first three hours and 35 minutes, the Oscars ceremony was a beautiful ode to connection and transcendence through art. It delivered a message of hope and inclusivity to peoples all over the world. The final 10 minutes were a colossal disaster, but the triumph of <i>Moonlight</i> as Best Picture of the year only reinforces the ideas of hope, tolerance, love, and acceptance that I will take away from the evening, scandal be damned.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For a full list of winners, click <a href="http://www.imdb.com/oscars/nominations/?pf_rd_m=A2FGELUUNOQJNL&amp;pf_rd_p=2913205002&amp;pf_rd_r=0X9KZMVAN7FZNSKZM1N2&amp;pf_rd_s=top-1&amp;pf_rd_t=60601&amp;pf_rd_i=oscars&amp;ref_=fea_acd_nav_i3">here</a>.</div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-69637055879639379082017-02-26T09:56:00.001-08:002017-02-26T09:56:29.806-08:00Totally Accurate, 100 Percent Guaranteed 2016 Academy Awards Predictions*<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-epOhvJpPlDM/WLMUW_Mb6PI/AAAAAAAACOU/biJ1H7lzYKAJ1qVQqkIRqB8d30_yQVf4ACLcB/s1600/Oscars%2Bpredix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-epOhvJpPlDM/WLMUW_Mb6PI/AAAAAAAACOU/biJ1H7lzYKAJ1qVQqkIRqB8d30_yQVf4ACLcB/s640/Oscars%2Bpredix.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is the third year running I have put out theses absolutely perfect predictions (with wide, wide margin for error), and in the previous two, there have been open questions extending even to the top award. This year, that question does not exist. The only major question is how high Damien Chazelle’s throwback Hollywood musical <i>La La Land</i> can soar. Can it set the record with 12 wins? Count ’em below if you want to know what I think.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">That does not mean there is no intrigue. Far from it. From Best Actor to Best Documentary to Best Foreign Language Film, we will be in the dark until the moment the envelope is opened and someone’s life changes forever. So, sit back, relax, and embrace the mystery. Here are Last Cinema Standing’s Totally Accurate, 100 Percent Guaranteed 2016 Academy Awards Predictions*. Click on any category to see a full breakdown of the nominees, and check back here after the show for a full recap and analysis. Have fun.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>*Guarantee this year is valid everywhere but no requests for refund will be honored.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-picture.html">Picture</a><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Moonlight<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-director.html">Director</a><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win: </b>Damien Chazelle for <i>La La Land<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Barry Jenkins for <i>Moonlight<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-actor.html">Actor</a><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Casey Affleck for <i>Manchester by the Sea<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Denzel Washington for <i>Fences<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-actress.html">Actress</a><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Emma Stone for <i>La La Land<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Natalie Portman for <i>Jackie</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-supporting.html">Supporting Actor<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win: </b>Mahershala Ali for <i>Moonlight<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Mahershala Ali for <i>Moonlight</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-supporting_14.html">Supporting Actress<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Viola Davis for <i>Fences</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win: </b>Viola Davis for <i>Fences</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-original.html">Original Screenplay<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win: </b>La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> The Lobster<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-adapted.html">Adapted Screenplay<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b>Moonlight<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Fences<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-cinematography.html">Cinematography</a><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Silence<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-editing.html">Editing</a><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Hacksaw Ridge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-production.html">Production Design<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-costume-design.html">Costume Design<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Jackie<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-makeup-and.html">Makeup andHairstyling</a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Star Trek Beyond<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Star Trek Beyond<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-sound-editing.html">Sound Editing<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Hacksaw Ridge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Hacksaw Ridge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-sound-mixing.html">Sound Mixing<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-original-score.html">Original Score<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Jackie<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-original-song.html">Original Song<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b>“Audition (Fools Who Dream)” from <i>La La Land<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> “How Far I’ll Go” from <i>Moana</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-visual-effects.html">Visual Effects<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> The Jungle Book<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> The Jungle Book<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-animated.html">Animated Feature<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b>Zootopia<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Moana<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-foreign.html">Foreign Language Film<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> The Salesman<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Land of Mine<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-documentary.html">Documentary Feature<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> O.J.: Made in America<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> O.J.: Made in America<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-live-action.html">Live Action Short<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La Femme et le TGV<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Sing<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-animated-short.html">Animated Short<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Pear Cider and Cigarettes<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Piper<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-documentary_20.html">Documentary Short<o:p></o:p></a></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Watani: My Homeland<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> 4.1 Miles<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Predicted big winners<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">La La Land – 11<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Moonlight – 2<o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-37312502040972767662017-02-26T09:41:00.001-08:002017-02-26T09:41:28.324-08:00From O.J. to Benghazi: All 62 Oscar nominees ranked<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eao7GRGN2K4/WLMS353ycmI/AAAAAAAACOM/4-d2UzUeyr4A_5YUaiICoa1k4ru67ViIACLcB/s1600/Oscar%2Branks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eao7GRGN2K4/WLMS353ycmI/AAAAAAAACOM/4-d2UzUeyr4A_5YUaiICoa1k4ru67ViIACLcB/s640/Oscar%2Branks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Two years running now, I have seen every nominated film. In a fun bit of symmetry, the earliest nominated film I saw this year was Production Design nominee <i>Hail, Caesar!</i>, which I saw in theaters Feb. 24, 2016, and the last one I saw was Animated Feature nominee <i>My Life as a Zucchini</i>, which I saw Feb. 24, 2017, the day of its release. One full year to the day to watch the 62 nominated films – 47 features and 15 shorts – and the reasonable question one might ask is: Why?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I spend a lot of time thinking about that. As a person who loves film, I would see movies anyway, but why these movies? I don’t know that I have a complete answer for that other than pointing to the collective quality of the group. The power of the Oscars is and always has been their power to draw attention to movies, be they good or bad. So, take an entirely subjective list like this with a grain of salt, but if it can be useful in any way guiding you to movies you might not otherwise see, then that is what it is here to do.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here they are, then, all 62 2017 Academy Award nominated films, ranked for your amusement:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">1. O.J.: Made in America<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2. Silence<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">3. Moonlight<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">4. Fences<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">5. The Lobster<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">6. Land of Mine<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">7. Moana<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">8. Jackie<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">9. I Am Not Your Negro<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">10. 13th<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">11. Loving<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">12. Fire at Sea<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">13. 4.1 Miles<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">14. The Salesman<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">15. La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">16. Lion<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">17. Hell of High Water<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">18. Toni Erdmann<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">19. Sing<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">20. The White Helmets<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">21. Elle<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">22. 20th Century Women<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">23. Arrival<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">24. Piper<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">25. Watani: My Homeland<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">26. Hidden Figures<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">27. The Jungle Book<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">28. Manchester by the Sea<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">29. My Life as a Zucchini<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">30. Timecode<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">31. Hacksaw Ridge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">32. Zootopia<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">33. Sully<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">34. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">35. La Femme et le TGV<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">36. Joe’s Violin<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">37. Deepwater Horizon<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">38. Tanna<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">39. A Man Called Ove<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">40. Kubo and the Two Strings<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">41. Borrowed Time<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">42. Life, Animated<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">43. Nocturnal Animals<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">44. The Red Turtle<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">45. Hail, Caesar!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">46. Extremis<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">47. Doctor Strange<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">48. Pearl<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">49. Ennemis Intérieurs<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">50. Jim: The James Foley Story<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">51. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">52. Pear Cider and CIgarettes<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">53. Silent Nights<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">54. Allied<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">55. Blind Vaysha<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">56. Florence Foster Jenkins<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">57. Captain Fantastic<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">58. Star Trek Beyond<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">59. Trolls<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">60. Passengers<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">61. Suicide Squad<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">62. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi<o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-48526232935378121672017-02-24T06:20:00.000-08:002017-02-24T06:20:11.159-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Picture<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xqiAwVkQgck/WK_sSGLWK_I/AAAAAAAACNQ/Tdk0jz7kHGMTVkJiepLh7_eNOd_CRtqBACLcB/s1600/Picture-Moonlight%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xqiAwVkQgck/WK_sSGLWK_I/AAAAAAAACNQ/Tdk0jz7kHGMTVkJiepLh7_eNOd_CRtqBACLcB/s640/Picture-Moonlight%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Writer-director Barry Jenkins' masterful <i>Moonlight</i>&nbsp;is among the nine nominees this year for Best Picture.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white;">Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Picture</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Arrival<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fences<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hacksaw Ridge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hell or High Water<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hidden Figures<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lion<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Manchester by the Sea<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Moonlight<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It has been a few years now since a movie ran away from the pack. Last year, it felt like any of four films could have been called out for the top award. Before that, <i>Birdman</i>and <i>Boyhood</i> battled it out for the big prize, and <i>12 Years a Slave</i> and <i>Gravity</i> the year before. You have to look back to <i>Argo</i> in 2012 for the last time a film gobbled up everything on its way to the big win at the Oscars. Jack Nicholson and Michelle Obama presented that award. Can you imagine such a thing now? Damn it, it has only been a month, and it seems so long ago that hope mattered or was even possible.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We have talked in this series about the new president and his administration and how these awards reflect a cultural backlash against our just-beginning national nightmare. It is no coincidence we see films nominated like Iranian master Asghar Farhadi’s <i>The Salesman</i>, Ava DuVernay’s <i>13th</i>, and shorts like <i>The White Helmets</i>, <i>Watani: My Homeland</i>, <i>4.1 Miles</i>, and <i>Ennemis Int</i><i>érieurs</i>. All of these films directly confront the most pressing issues of the day.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have every hope the winners of Academy Awards on Sunday will use the platform of the ceremony to speak out, to protest, and to sound a rallying cry to the rest of us. There is no doubt the administration and its supporters, in an attempt to stoke class divisions and nurture their beloved us-vs.-them mentality, will point to this as yet another example of Hollywood elitism. I prefer to think of the Academy as speaking for the majority of Americans, who do not support the hate, racism, sexism, bigotry, and ignorance spewing from and encouraged by the White House.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Academy Awards are a big, fancy-dress ball being held at a time when it almost does not seem worth it to get out of bed in the morning. It has been hard all season to look forward to Sunday evening with any real joy or anticipation. Political events seemed to have sucked the very idea of joy out of our national consciousness. So, I understand if some people do not want to watch (mostly) rich people get dressed up and award each other gold statues, but I would also argue it means more than that.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Th nine Best Picture nominees listed above and discussed below are about us and how we feel right now in this place and time. Some of us want escape, some want confrontation, some need inspiration, and others just need to see themselves reflected in a world turned upside down. Roger Ebert, that greatest of all film writers, once said: “For me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams, and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us.” If ever there were a time we needed that machine, it is now.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-njYQzvzZUxc/WK_sdikoLcI/AAAAAAAACNU/5Xy8AKjgzccN83g1Ve8fe1SNYXjNWIb-gCLcB/s1600/Picture-La%2BLa%2BLand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-njYQzvzZUxc/WK_sdikoLcI/AAAAAAAACNU/5Xy8AKjgzccN83g1Ve8fe1SNYXjNWIb-gCLcB/s320/Picture-La%2BLa%2BLand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>La La Land</i> (directed by Damien Chazelle)</b> – As an Oscar contender, there is nothing that compares to <i>La La Land</i> in the history of the Academy. It is just the third film in 89 years of ceremonies to garner 14 nominations. The first to do so was <i>All About Eve</i> in 1950. While both films are ostensibly show-business films, <i>All About Eve</i> is a dark, cynical satire, while Chazelle’s film is an earnest paean to the magic of art. The other film with 14 nominations is <i>Titanic</i>, which like <i>La La Land</i> is a romance, but let’s not compare the scale of the two. No one need be reminded of the epic nature of James Cameron’s historical fiction, and by comparison, the Hollywood musical seems small.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Chazelle’s film, then, is in a class by itself. It has pulled away from everything else in such an historic manner, I would not be surprised to see it break the record for Oscar wins, shared at 11 by <i>Ben-Hur</i>, <i>Titanic</i>, and <i>The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King</i>. <i>La La Land</i> is double nominated in Best Original Song, so there is one it cannot win, except in the unlikely event of a tie. Ryan Gosling is not among the frontrunners for Best Actor, so there are two. That leaves 12 and the record within reach. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here are the Awards we can be nearly certain of: Picture, Director, Actress, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Original Song, Original Score, and Sound Mixing. That’s nine, which would be an impressive haul and the most since <i>The Return of the King</i> in 2003. Editing and Sound Editing are a toss-up between <i>La La Land</i> and <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i>, while Original Screenplay is between this and <i>Manchester by the Sea</i>, and that is all that stands between Chazelle and history.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The question lingers: Why? Why this film? Why now? A starry-eyed musical romance about two dreamers following their lives’ passions – how does this speak to us today? Well, it is an escape into a fantasy land of hope and optimism, two hours during which you can sink into your chair, click your heels, and be whisked away into another world entirely, a happier world. It is natural, in times such as these, to need such an escape. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have felt every day since the election: ‘Just bring me another drink, in bed; no worries, I’ll pull the covers back over my head myself.’ I do not suppose I am the only one. <i>La La Land</i> is the briefest of respites from the national depression. It is also a marvelously realized film, and whatever minor flaws it has are covered by its audacity and unbridled enthusiasm. &nbsp;With it, Chazelle takes his place as one of the modern visionaries of cinema. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y0q95HxDiKI/WK_shL5QCKI/AAAAAAAACNY/JDkrhYlY4W0nazu4GEzWPHtyyCyOzCNDgCLcB/s1600/Picture-Moonlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y0q95HxDiKI/WK_shL5QCKI/AAAAAAAACNY/JDkrhYlY4W0nazu4GEzWPHtyyCyOzCNDgCLcB/s1600/Picture-Moonlight.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Moonlight</i> (directed by Barry Jenkins)</b> – There are a couple films here with an outside shot of upsetting the apple cart, and we will discuss those in a moment, but the only film with a reasonable chance of toppling <i>La La Land</i> is <i>Moonlight</i>. It is the critical favorite by a wide margin. It is second in nominations total behind <i>La La Land</i>, tied with <i>Arrival</i>at eight. More than any of that, though, and what will linger long after the awards have been handed out, it is a uniquely artistic, gorgeously rendered examination of a life. Talk about a machine that generates empathy.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As the film opens, Little (Alex R. Hibbert) could be any of us. He is a small, shy, sensitive boy being bullied for who he is. He meets his mentor, Juan (Mahershala Ali), a drug dealer but a kind man. He grows and becomes Chiron (Ashton Sanders), who is not yet comfortable in his own skin and has difficulty adjusting to the emotional and physical upheaval of adolescence. Finally, he is Black (Trevante Rhodes), a man who embodies all of that – the shy boy, the angry teen, the kind mentor – but still has little idea who he truly wants to be.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Moonlight</i> is glorious because it charts the path of a life that could be any life, but in its specifics and details, it opens a door and invites us to step into this life, which we perhaps only understood intellectually. Jenkins helps us understand emotionally. At the margins of this society are people with the same hopes, fears, dreams, and aspirations as everyone else, but because opportunity never knocked on their doors, their lives took a different path. Most of us will never walk a mile in those shoes, but <i>Moonlight</i>shows us what it is like to lace them up.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VE2yBgPgoIg/WK_skn5yiKI/AAAAAAAACNc/POXT5wfnwToxRTIx51TF3doK0uE0c06JACLcB/s1600/Picture-Hidden%2BFigures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VE2yBgPgoIg/WK_skn5yiKI/AAAAAAAACNc/POXT5wfnwToxRTIx51TF3doK0uE0c06JACLcB/s320/Picture-Hidden%2BFigures.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Hidden Figures</i> (directed by Theodore Melfi)</b> – Every year, there is a popular favorite, a movie everybody saw and everyone liked and everyone thinks should win Best Picture. Call it the People’s Choice. In the recent past, that would have referred to movies like <i>The Martian</i>, <i>American Sniper</i>, and <i>Gravity</i>. These movies are usually well made, conventional but with an arty pedigree, and huge hits at the box office. Enter <i>Hidden Figures</i>, a well-made flick that feels conventional but has a degree of artiness and is the highest grossing of these nine nominees.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">USA Today conducted a recent poll, in conjunction with Fandango, asking 8,000 movie-goers – a sample size a little larger than the Academy – what should win Best Picture. <i>Hidden Figures</i> led with 26 percent of the vote, followed closely by <i>La La Land</i>. Now, 26 percent will get you nowhere on a preferential ballot, which requires 50 percent plus one vote to win, but it is still informative. In a group that contains several crowd-pleasing entertainments, Melfi’s film is the one that pleased the crowd most. That it happens to be about three smart, black women is a wonderful bonus.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) are American heroes for what they accomplished, yes, but more for how they accomplished it. To be black in this country has never been easy, and to be a woman in this country has never been easy, and black women have had perhaps the toughest time of anyone. The story of these brilliant people and their work at NASA is inspiring, the script is witty, and the performances are superb, but what matters most is if one more young, black girl – hopefully many more – decides to pursue a career in science or mathematics. That is what we mean when we talk about the power of these movies.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ifube-W4kNM/WK_soEh3ZcI/AAAAAAAACNg/X5BZA2sHtIsXqYUYlXrx5-afbwzjvzwhACLcB/s1600/Picture-Manchester%2Bby%2Bthe%2BSea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ifube-W4kNM/WK_soEh3ZcI/AAAAAAAACNg/X5BZA2sHtIsXqYUYlXrx5-afbwzjvzwhACLcB/s320/Picture-Manchester%2Bby%2Bthe%2BSea.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Manchester by the Sea</i> (directed by Kenneth Lonergan)</b> – There is no formula for winning Best Picture or making the kind of movie that will even be nominated. The more cynical among the film commentariat will sometimes see a log line or cast list and declare a film signed, sealed, and delivered for the Academy. Often as not, they are wrong. Speaking in the most general terms, a film needs one of two things to win Best Picture: wow factor or importance. If a film features both, so much the better. The last three Best Picture winners could not be more dissimilar, but they all had one or the other – <i>Spotlight</i> (importance), <i>Birdman</i> (wow factor), and <i>12 Years a Slave</i> (both).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I mention all of this because <i>Manchester by the Sea</i> was tabbed as an early favorite for the top prize based on the critical response, which was breathless, and its cast and performances, which are universally superb. While it has found love in the nominations process everywhere, it has not caught on anywhere but for lead actor Casey Affleck, though even he is battling off a late charge by Denzel Washington. The reason, it seems to me, is that it lacks either the wow factor of some of these contenders, such as <i>La La Land</i>, <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i>, or <i>Arrival</i>, or the importance of films like <i>Moonlight</i>, <i>Hidden Figures</i>, and even <i>Hell or High Water</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">None of this is to say <i>Manchester by the Sea</i> is not a wonderful film, which it is, nor that it failed to accomplish what it sets out to accomplish, which I believe it does. Lonergan’s script is a remarkable achievement of character development, emotional resonance, and quiet humor, and he very well could win an Oscar for it. The work by Affleck, Michelle Williams, Lucas Hedges, and the rest of the cast is outstanding. However, next to the frontrunners, and indeed some of the films ostensibly trailing it, <i>Manchester by the Sea</i> lacks that essential element that would drive Academy members to vote for it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uIViVXh33Ak/WK_srlAGy9I/AAAAAAAACNk/6HswD9-w_zI1exq8QFgCSWEOAlGvupKawCLcB/s1600/Picture-Hacksaw%2BRidge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uIViVXh33Ak/WK_srlAGy9I/AAAAAAAACNk/6HswD9-w_zI1exq8QFgCSWEOAlGvupKawCLcB/s320/Picture-Hacksaw%2BRidge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> (directed by Mel Gibson)</b> – The Oscar story of <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> is the story of Gibson’s return to the good graces of the Academy. The film, Gibson’s first as director since <i>Apocalypto</i> in 2006, premiered out of competition at the Venice Film Festival and received a 10-minute standing ovation. Its adequate, if not stellar, domestic box-office numbers are mitigated by a solid overseas haul, and the capper came nominations morning with six nods, including Best Picture. Mel Gibson, at least for now, is fully back. We talked a lot about the ethical quandary of that in discussing Best Director, so I will not rehash it here. The work stands alone.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And what beautiful work. Gibson’s credentials as a filmmaker have never been in doubt, and his twin Oscars for directing and producing <i>Braveheart</i> are hard-won, if not necessarily the choices I would have made. What he has needed – what all directors need – has been a story worthy of his gifts. He finds it in the true-life tale of Desmond Doss, a Quaker and conscientious objector during World War II who nonetheless joins the U.S. Army in an effort to preserve as much life on the battlefield as he can while refusing to take a life or even to carry a gun.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For a film that is ostensibly about the virtue of nonviolence, Gibson packs a hell of a lot of blood and guts into his picture, but at no point does he fall into the trap of making war look pretty or poetic. It is gritty, grimy, gross business, and the film depicts the honest darkness with a refreshing lack of sentiment. This is the big action star and action filmmaker in Gibson putting his talents to use in service of a cause larger than mere thrills or entertainment. <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> uses its trappings as a brutally gory war flick to hide its true nature, that of a grand, glorious anti-war statement.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GwOF2xIXAUc/WK_svGMsi8I/AAAAAAAACNo/ht5bv2JC8TQPoR4Jiepgyrn32qzW9DDBgCLcB/s1600/Picture-Arrival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GwOF2xIXAUc/WK_svGMsi8I/AAAAAAAACNo/ht5bv2JC8TQPoR4Jiepgyrn32qzW9DDBgCLcB/s320/Picture-Arrival.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Arrival</i> (directed by Denis Villeneuve)</b> – Speaking of films that hide their true nature, anyone walking into <i>Arrival</i>expecting to see a traditional alien-invasion movie, with all the attendant firepower and destruction, left sorely disappointed. That is, unless they were able to give themselves over to one of cinema’s truly unique experiences this year – an elliptically told story about the power of words and virtue of patience that ultimately speaks volumes about the world in which we live.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The short story on which the film was based – “The Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang – was published in 1998, nearly 20 years ago, but its themes and ideas grow more relevant with each passing day. It is a story of communication, of seeing the world through eyes that are not your own, and of accepting that our lives and views are not so big in the grand scheme of things. In a world of radical self-importance and nihilistic individuality, this is perhaps not the message most want to receive, but it is the message we all most need.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Villeneuve’s direction, Amy Adams’ central performance, and the script by Eric Heisserer combine to make sense of a story that by design, has no beginning or end. Events occur, or have occurred, or will occur, seemingly at random, but as the pieces fall together, we get closer to understanding what it all means and how it all fits. This is the character’s journey as well, slowly, methodically coming to understand the whys of the world around her and finally coming to grips with that understanding.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qCGRq6lJMVo/WK_szPR18TI/AAAAAAAACNs/Oe3OsK457HguB06QzrRGuT1fSNCS6bWKgCLcB/s1600/Picture-Lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qCGRq6lJMVo/WK_szPR18TI/AAAAAAAACNs/Oe3OsK457HguB06QzrRGuT1fSNCS6bWKgCLcB/s320/Picture-Lion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Lion</i> (directed by Garth Davis)</b> – Some movies sneak up on you. You are not prepared for their depth or beauty. You cannot conceive of their brilliance until you are awash in it. I did not expect much from <i>Lion</i>. I had heard all the rave reviews, but most described it as a sort of weepy, which to me suggested it would be emotionally manipulative in some way, that it would not play fair with our hearts and minds. Its trailers did it no favors in selling it as just that kind of film. I went in with decidedly lowered expectations. How wrong I was to have doubted.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Davis’ film is anything but the generic, based-on-a-bestseller melodrama I so dreaded. It is a contemplative, quietly moving, deeply affecting look at the inner turmoil and emotional upheaval of a person whose life is split in two and who cannot move forward until the pieces are put back together. In addition to the remarkable, heart-on-its-sleeve story, the artistry put on display by first-time feature director Davis is positively splendid. The director daringly transitions from a neo-realist, nearly silent opening half into a more dreamlike, surreal second half that blends memory and reality, sensation and absence into a whirlwind of competing emotions that perfectly mirrors the main character’s headspace.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Lion</i> is one of those rare pleasant surprises at the movies. I see enough and read enough that I know what to expect when I buy my ticket and take my seat – most of the time. When a movie comes along like <i>Lion</i>, though, and from the first frame to the last simply bowls me over with its intelligence, its grace, and its beauty, I can do nothing but marvel and appreciate that I have had an experience that does not come around very often.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3uFSr8mork/WK_s4lNTMtI/AAAAAAAACN0/T44P2Piu3Gcj5Eon9C4MDKSJl7g4ZQYggCLcB/s1600/Picture-Hell%2Bor%2BHigh%2BWater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3uFSr8mork/WK_s4lNTMtI/AAAAAAAACN0/T44P2Piu3Gcj5Eon9C4MDKSJl7g4ZQYggCLcB/s320/Picture-Hell%2Bor%2BHigh%2BWater.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Hell or High Water</i> (directed by David Mackenzie)</b> – I have a little game I play every year, like a thought experiment, in which I try to guess which Best Picture nominees my dad would enjoy most. I learned my love of film from my father, then as I grew older, I grew a different appreciation for the art of cinema from the one I knew as a child renting VHS tapes from the video store across the street. Suffice to say, my father’s and my taste have diverged. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">While there are few films he enjoys that I do not – apart from a few tiresome comedies, which I would not begrudge anyone – I feel certain most of my favorite films would not appeal to him. This does not bother me and is perfectly normal, but when I find a movie I know my father will love, I get excited. It is fun to show something to the man who showed me everything when I was growing up. All of this is a long way of saying <i>Hell or High Water</i> is the kind of rollicking, adventure thriller that will appeal to anyone with an appreciation of cinema or anyone who just wants to have a good damn time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The magnificence of Mackenzie’s film, written by Taylor Sheridan, lies in its ability to be two things at once. It is a whip-smart, down-home thriller about a couple good ol’ boys on the run from the law and the lawman chasing after them. However, it is also an earnest condemnation of the big-business world and the politics of money that have depressed entire regions of this nation, destroying livelihoods and wrecking futures for generations to come. So few movies can be all things to all people, but <i>Hell or High Water</i> succeeds in entertaining and informing in a way of which I think my dad would approve.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ruiW9ZdQamM/WK_s8C6-8nI/AAAAAAAACN4/Tkm4IOh2vAIA9-1mumv217TYH5eEgRhnwCLcB/s1600/Picture-Fences.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ruiW9ZdQamM/WK_s8C6-8nI/AAAAAAAACN4/Tkm4IOh2vAIA9-1mumv217TYH5eEgRhnwCLcB/s320/Picture-Fences.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Fences</i> (directed by Denzel Washington)</b> – In just the past two months, I have written thousands of words about the greatness of <i>Fences</i> – its performances, its direction, and above all its writing. There is not much more I can do to convince the unconvinced, to interest the disinterested. I simply sit and wonder how anyone could not be shaken to the bone, moved to their very core, by the story of Troy Maxson (Washington), his wife, Rose (Viola Davis), their son, Corey (Jovan Adepo), Troy’s first son, Lyons (Russell Hornsby), his brother, Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson), and his friend Bono (Stephen Henderson).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Playwright August Wilson’s masterpiece is about these people and the way they live. It is about how they communicate, how they interact with the world, how the world treats them. It is about the ways they wrong each other, care for each other, love each other, and find equal amounts of joy and sorrow in one another. No work of American literature has better captured or better expressed the basic humanness of us all. It is not a blueprint for how to live our lives but a blueprint for how we have already lived. Wilson writes as if he knows who we are, what we have done, and what we will do. He writes this way because he knows all of this of the Maxsons, who stand for every one of us and yet stand alone.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The play, as Wilson’s only true peer Shakespeare once wrote, is the thing. Every bit of brilliance in <i>Fences</i>stems from the words on the page. But Washington’s task does not end there. He is the first director to bring a work by Wilson to the big screen, and his responsibility in so doing is immense. Of course, lest we forget, this is Denzel Washington, one of the great talents of our time, and he lives up to every responsibility he has to the text. He mounts the picture marvelously, performs in it incomparably, and directs it admirably. We are lucky, now, to live in a world where such greatness was captured, even for an instant.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There are certain years in Academy history that stand out for their Best Picture lineups. The first, and most often cited as the greatest year in film history, let alone Academy history, is 1939, when nominated for Best Picture were winner <i>Gone with the Wind</i>, <i>Mr. Smith Goes to Washington</i>, <i>Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz</i>, and <i>Wuthering Heights</i>, among others. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another is 1967, 50 years ago now, and as is my understanding the subject of one of those strange, themed Academy Awards ceremony tributes that honor films that came out in the anniversary of the ceremony year, not the year of the films being celebrated. For instance, the ceremony of 50 years ago, honored the films of 1966, much as this one celebrates the achievements of 2016. I digress. In 1967, the nominees were winner <i>In the Heat of the Night</i>, <i>The Graduate</i>, <i>Bonnie and Clyde</i>, <i>Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner</i>, and <i>Doctor Doolittle</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Less often spoken of but to my mind no less miraculous is 1976, when the nominees were winner <i>Rocky</i>, <i>Taxi Driver</i>, <i>Network</i>, <i>All the President’s Men</i>, and <i>Bound for Glory</i>. It has been a while since we have had a year of such vintage, though I would argue 2005, which honored <i>Crash</i> alongside <i>Capote</i>, <i>Goodnight and Good Luck</i>, <i>Brokeback Mountain</i>, and <i>Munich</i>, belongs in the conversation.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>La La Land</i> will win Best Picture this year. It will probably sweep the awards in a possibly record-setting fashion. It will do so, however, at the head of a class of nominees that deserves a place on that illustrious list of best years in Academy history. <i>Moonlight</i> and <i>Fences</i> belong to the ages. <i>La La Land</i> is an invigorating, admirable champion from an exciting, young visionary director, and it will be looked back upon fondly.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The other six nominees are all glorious achievements and a year featuring any one of them could not have been a bad year for the movies. These nine films speak to who we are today, the people we were yesterday, and the people we could be tomorrow. Their individual accomplishments are many, but taken together, it is one of the greatest groups the Academy has ever produced, and years from now, generations yet to be born will look back on these films and know something good came from the mess we made of this world. If we cannot say the same about the society we have fostered, at least we do not have to be embarrassed of its cinema.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Moonlight<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> O.J.: Made in America<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>This weekend: I will have up a couple more fun items tomorrow and Sunday morning, including a ranking of all 62 nominated films, so be sure to check back for that, and then, at long last, the big show arrives.</i><o:p></o:p></div></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-88235468227094621402017-02-23T05:46:00.000-08:002017-02-23T05:46:30.448-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Actor<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kH_nY7t7odc/WK571cDHRRI/AAAAAAAACMo/L4Trx-mt57ExpTbp3QnuLwjH2-60kMHkQCLcB/s1600/Actor-Casey%2BAffleck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kH_nY7t7odc/WK571cDHRRI/AAAAAAAACMo/L4Trx-mt57ExpTbp3QnuLwjH2-60kMHkQCLcB/s640/Actor-Casey%2BAffleck.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Casey Affleck is nominated for Best Actor for his role in <i>Manchester by the Sea</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white;">Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Actor</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Casey Affleck for <i>Manchester by the Sea</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Andrew Garfield for <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ryan Gosling for <i>La La Land</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Viggo Mortenson for <i>Captain Fantastic</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Denzel Washington for <i>Fences</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In the past three years, 12 of the 15 Best Actor nominees have been for characters based on real people. Each of the last four winners has played an historical figure. Some assumptions about the Academy’s tastes are demonstrably false and used only as a satirical baton to swing at the organization. However, in this realm, the cliché has absolutely been true. This year, however, expect the Academy to break free from the mold.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In some ways, voters already have by nominating four performances that portray fictional characters. The frontrunners sprang entirely from the minds of two of America’s preeminent playwrights. Real or imagined, though, every one of these characters is brought to vibrant life by the five nominated actors. They are war heroes and everyday heroes, artists and philosophers, fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons. For everything else they are, fictional or not, they are deeply moving portraits of the human experience.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vvf6KIcZhoo/WK58IOsm3ZI/AAAAAAAACMs/ySQ4jj1JYwQgpvdx2jU1FHO6XCYvZWFfgCLcB/s1600/Actor-Denzel%2BWashington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vvf6KIcZhoo/WK58IOsm3ZI/AAAAAAAACMs/ySQ4jj1JYwQgpvdx2jU1FHO6XCYvZWFfgCLcB/s320/Actor-Denzel%2BWashington.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Denzel Washington for <i>Fences</i></b> – I am already well on the record as calling <i>Fences</i> one of the best films of the year, the play one of the best things ever written, and Washington’s performance the single best of 2016. Mick LaSalle, film reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle, called it one of the best self-directed performances of all time, and I would certainly put it up there with Orson Welles in <i>Citizen Kane</i>, Laurence Olivier in <i>Hamlet</i>, and Charlie Chaplin in <i>City Lights</i>. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">While I would not quite place Washington on the same level as those directors, it is time, if we have not already, to start calling him one of the greatest actors of all time. If this sounds to you like hyperbole, consider the facts, which are titled: <i>A Soldier’s Story</i>, <i>Glory</i>, <i>Cry Freedom</i>, <i>Malcolm X</i>, <i>Philadelphia</i>, <i>Crimson Tide</i>, <i>Training Day</i>, <i>American Gangster</i>, <i>Flight</i>, and <i>Fences</i>. Put those 10 performances up against 10 performances on any other actor’s résumé in this era or any other. You will not find many comparable.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Troy Maxson is a perfect character for Washington, and the actor never missteps in bringing one of August Wilson’s greatest creations to life. He is a bitter, broken down old drunk who holds a grudge for the failings of a racist nation, but he is also a hard-working man who deserved a better hand in life than the one he was dealt. About that much he is correct, but the way he allows his resentment to curdle is what makes him the man he becomes. In a career of great roles, Washington has never had one like the retired baseball player turned garbage man Troy. It is a perfect performance that belongs in the history books of cinema.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zM-C4rxz0W0/WK58MgYhr1I/AAAAAAAACMw/dgJjVaKzXYc1ZQ8fvJeUOjOt-6W7hUWvQCLcB/s1600/Actor-Casey%2BAffleck%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zM-C4rxz0W0/WK58MgYhr1I/AAAAAAAACMw/dgJjVaKzXYc1ZQ8fvJeUOjOt-6W7hUWvQCLcB/s320/Actor-Casey%2BAffleck%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Casey Affleck for <i>Manchester by the Sea</i></b> – By my estimation, Affleck should already be an Oscar winner for his nominated work in <i>The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford</i>. That was the first time I really remember seeing him deliver the kind of insightful, contemplative work that has come to define his career. Since then, I have followed everything he has done, and he has never been anything less than stupendous in movies such as <i>The Killer Inside Me</i>, <i>Gone Baby Gone</i>, <i>Ain’t Them Bodies Saints</i>, and <i>Out of the Furnace</i>. <i>Manchester by the Sea</i> is not Affleck’s greatest performance, but it is of a piece with the great work he turns in consistently.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He portrays Lee Chandler as a tower of grief just waiting to implode. Lee has done his best to hide himself away from the pain and anguish of his past only to have it brought into full view by the death of his brother. As much as he wants to be a stronger person, more resilient, more capable of confronting the deep sorrow he has experienced, the despair is often too much for him to take. The beauty of Affleck’s performance is in the way he portrays grief, not as an expressive burst of roiling emotions but as a chilling numbness. It is too much to feel, so he feels nothing.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Two days ago, we spoke in depth about the trespasses of <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> director Mel Gibson, and it would be disingenuous not now to mention the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against Affleck by the female crew members of films he has worked on. If the allegations are true – and I think we owe it to the potential victims of harassment to believe them first – then Affleck’s actions are despicable and indefensible. If true, it means Affleck has been an amazing performer in his career, but he has not been even a passable citizen. I do not believe these allegations will have any bearing on the Oscars, but hopefully, a conversation can begin in the industry to address these very important, very real concerns.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lp3jKtFKLwM/WK58PSfYZVI/AAAAAAAACM0/3_bjIHS4qCUAmBYocBo_vC09QrfR6sYDwCLcB/s1600/Actor-Andrew%2BGarfield.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lp3jKtFKLwM/WK58PSfYZVI/AAAAAAAACM0/3_bjIHS4qCUAmBYocBo_vC09QrfR6sYDwCLcB/s320/Actor-Andrew%2BGarfield.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Andrew Garfield for <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i></b> – For my money, Garfield is nominated here for the wrong performance this year, not because he is not excellent in <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> but because his work in Martin Scorsese’s <i>Silence</i>is the more nuanced, all-encompassing performance. The role of Desmond Doss has only one mode through most of <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i>, quiet heroism, and Garfield plays it for everything it is worth. In <i>Silence</i>, Garfield is able to portray a much wider range of experiences and emotions, but Scorsese’s film was underappreciated by the Academy, while <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> caught on. Such is the way it goes sometimes.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Garfield is a magnificent young performer who burst onto the scene in David Fincher’s <i>The Social Network</i> but quickly thereafter became mired in superhero land, playing Spider-man in a pair of not highly regarded films. One hates to say it, but the failure of the Spider-man reboot was probably the best thing that could have happened to Garfield. Since his last time portraying the web-slinging crime fighter, Garfield has appeared in three remarkable films (<i>99 Homes</i>, <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i>, and <i>Silence</i>) and delivered three remarkable performances of great depth and understanding.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He portrays Desmond as quiet, solemn, and devoted. He wishes to serve his country’s military during World War II because he believes he has a moral obligation to do so, but he refuses to kill or even carry a weapon, also in keeping with his moral obligations. When the film hits the battlefield, Garfield’s performance turns wondrously physical as we watch Desmond endure the bodily torment and emotional exhaustion of the war. Regardless of what film Garfield should have been nominated for, his status as an Oscar nominee is unimpeachable, and I cannot wait to see what he does next.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ah1_kvFaLzY/WK58SgPnnUI/AAAAAAAACM4/bzYtEpJt9ywyRPQdxAWO_lv9miG9lEtTgCLcB/s1600/Actor-Ryan%2BGosling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ah1_kvFaLzY/WK58SgPnnUI/AAAAAAAACM4/bzYtEpJt9ywyRPQdxAWO_lv9miG9lEtTgCLcB/s320/Actor-Ryan%2BGosling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ryan Gosling for <i>La La Land</i></b> – I think Gosling is wonderful actor, but I also think sometimes performers get swept up in the Academy love for their films and land nominations that otherwise would have seemed unlikely. Gosling’s performance in <i>La La Land</i> is not among the five best lead actor performances of the year, not while work by the likes of Colin Farrell (<i>The Lobster</i>), Michael Fassbender (<i>The Light Between Oceans</i>), Peter Simonischek (<i>Toni Erdmann</i>), and David Johns (<i>I, Daniel Blake</i>) is out there. This is not meant as a knock on Gosling but more on the Academy.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As jazz pianist Sebastian Wilder, who dreams of opening his own music club someday, Gosling nails the smugness he has in previous efforts while providing just enough softness to make the audience root for this guy. He is fantastic musician, but when we meet him, he refuses to budge even an inch on his artistry, even if to do so would allow him to pay his bills. Many of us have known people like this, and certainly members of the Academy have – or they have been people like this. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Gosling, who is a weaker singer than co-star Emma Stone, excels at playing the film’s romantic elements, deploying his weathered charm and delightful excitability to great effect. However, because the movie revolves around Stone’s character, Gosling is used more like a plot device. Of course, leading women have been playing plot devices in male-driven films for 120 years, but it still leaves Gosling with little to play and little depth to explore. Gosling, who was previously nominated in 2006 for <i>Half-Nelson</i>, will almost certainly return to the show again soon with a performance more indicative of his many talents.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N7ah9x68kng/WK58XrUHDCI/AAAAAAAACM8/cxOAELMm6jAVBPoP47j-q-eMBP8wdpw2ACLcB/s1600/Actor-Viggo%2BMortenson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N7ah9x68kng/WK58XrUHDCI/AAAAAAAACM8/cxOAELMm6jAVBPoP47j-q-eMBP8wdpw2ACLcB/s320/Actor-Viggo%2BMortenson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Viggo Mortenson for <i>Captain Fantastic</i></b> – As a person who tends to see everything, or at least as much of everything as I can, I hesitate to say I studiously avoided this movie. Even in the trailers, its tone felt off, its story treading familiar territory in a manner I would find irksome. For this piece, though, I watched it, and I can say, now having seen it, I found it worse than irksome. It is condescending, mean-spirited, and self-satisfied. The plot is inert and the story structure inept. I found it offensive on every possible level – human, artistic, political, cultural, etc.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Mortenson plays Ben Cash, the leader of a cult – sorry, father of a family – that lives outside of society in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. They read books by firelight and kill deer with their bare hands. They self-righteously declaim American society while doing nothing to change what they correctly identify as systemic inequality and the corrupting influence of big business. Instead, they stand apart from it, above it, looking down on everyone else, identifying problems without offering solutions, which is the worst kind of moral superiority.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Is Mortenson good in the role? Sure, he is fine. Previously nominated for his role as a Russian gangster in <i>Eastern Promises</i>, Mortenson brings to the role the right combination of end-times survivalist crazy and university lit professor sanctimony. Like the film in which he appears, the character is mostly insufferable, but that has nothing to do with Mortenson’s performance and everything to do with writer-director Matt Ross’ script. Ben is also dealing with the death of his wife and the possibility his children will be taken away from him. In these rare human moments, when Ben is more than just a sketch of a person, Mortenson shines. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I want to believe Washington will win this award, and his triumph with the Screen Actors Guild offers some hope. However, that is not the way the season has looked like it would go. Affleck was the critical darling. He beat Washington to the Golden Globe and won the BAFTA, where Washington was not nominated. Washington is also a two-time winner already, while Affleck’s consistent brilliance is of the kind the Academy likes to reward when a performance such as this comes along. I will root for Washington, but Affleck’s win will not be undeserving.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Casey Affleck for <i>Manchester by the Sea</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Denzel Washington for <i>Fences</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> Colin Farrell for <i>The Lobster</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Picture<o:p></o:p></i></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-30320231616027194742017-02-22T09:41:00.001-08:002017-02-22T09:42:34.054-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Actress<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jyjbVaXGnmE/WK3MnqNz8xI/AAAAAAAACMA/IoBMoZBpABY2FJ1CeofkkCJPj_Z6MLcHgCLcB/s1600/Actress-Emma%2BStone%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jyjbVaXGnmE/WK3MnqNz8xI/AAAAAAAACMA/IoBMoZBpABY2FJ1CeofkkCJPj_Z6MLcHgCLcB/s640/Actress-Emma%2BStone%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Emma Stone is nominated for Best Actress for her role as Mia Dolan in <i>La La Land</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Actress</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Isabelle Huppert for&nbsp;<i>Elle</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ruth Negga for&nbsp;<i>Loving</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Natalie Portman for&nbsp;<i>Jackie</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Emma Stone for&nbsp;<i>La La Land</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Meryl Streep for&nbsp;<i>Florence Foster Jenkins</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One woman wants to act, and another just to sing. One is burdened by the shattered dreams of a nation, while another is held down by that nation’s history of prejudice and injustice. Another seeks to explore her deeper self after a brutal act uncovers hidden desires she never knew. In a Hollywood system that often marginalizes women and trivializes their stories and experiences, it is refreshing to celebrate a list of films that put their female performances front and center.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Among this group are five wonderful performers all at different stages in their careers. Streep is of course a living legend with three Oscars to her name and an inspiration to anyone who dreams of acting. Portman is the Oscar winner and former child star who has grown up before our eyes and now delivers the performance of her career in the role of a lifetime. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Huppert and Negga are both first-time nominees, but while Huppert is already a goddess of world cinema, Negga is only now beginning to garner the recognition she deserves. Finally, there is the ingénue, Stone, who is just 28 but made her feature film debut a decade ago and has an Oscar nod under her belt already. It is a remarkable group, among the best the Academy has ever put together, and the only shame is that one must be declared the winner above the others.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zfSdDW8u0kk/WK3MyjISSpI/AAAAAAAACME/Vx3h0hEF7jMbs__wMImD5qhz5QI6x_2dQCLcB/s1600/Actress-Emma%2BStone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zfSdDW8u0kk/WK3MyjISSpI/AAAAAAAACME/Vx3h0hEF7jMbs__wMImD5qhz5QI6x_2dQCLcB/s320/Actress-Emma%2BStone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Emma Stone for <i>La La Land</i></b> – For whatever else the Academy looks for in performances, members really love to see themselves on screen, or rather, their ideal selves. The character of actress Mia Dolan is nothing if not an actor’s ideal self. She is young, pretty, talented, motivated, and devoted. She dreams big and chases those dreams with the kind of tenacity we all wish we possessed. She tries and fails, tries and fails, and tries again because for her, there is little else but the dream.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">How perfect then that the character is portrayed by Stone, who is about as close to those ideals as a real person could comfortably come. She has been magnificent before in films like <i>Irrational Man</i> or <i>Birdman</i>, for which she received her first nomination, but this is a more challenging and abstract role than she has ever been asked to play. In many ways, Mia is hope come to life, optimism incarnate. Her experience is what we imagine it is like to dream so big. We know it cannot be easy, or always fun or rewarding, but if we dream for the right reasons, then we do so because it is necessary.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Stone is tasked with portraying all of this, and while the ups and downs of being an actor must be very close to her heart, she must also be all things to all people in this role. She is not only what we think of the character but what we think of ourselves. It is truly an unfair burden to place on a performer, to ask that she embody the character and the audience, but Stone is up to the task. She encounters hope and despair; she loves, and she loses; she laughs, and she cries; she sings, and she dances; but most of all, she dreams.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zy7CeEF34s0/WK3M1cPxG0I/AAAAAAAACMI/G6Wk0JeRGVUvquCcE5JbuP22baEyi87ZACLcB/s1600/Actress-Natalie%2BPortman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zy7CeEF34s0/WK3M1cPxG0I/AAAAAAAACMI/G6Wk0JeRGVUvquCcE5JbuP22baEyi87ZACLcB/s320/Actress-Natalie%2BPortman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Natalie Portman for <i>Jackie</i></b> – As an actress portraying a woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders, Portman carries the weight of history on hers. There is no easy way to step into the shoes of one of the 20th century’s most famous and influential figures. It requires the actor to disappear, as all great performances do, but it also requires the subject to emerge. It is not enough for the actor to hide behind a costume or an accent or a physicality. Oh, all of these are parts of the performance, but it takes a special act to embody the full nature of someone like Jacqueline Kennedy. If there is one thing Portman is and always has been as a performer, it is special.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have written at length about Portman’s performance, which is one of the great screen portrayals of a historical figure. I will not go on much here, then, except to say that for an hour and 40 minutes, Jackie becomes a living, breathing person again, and that is all thanks to Portman’s performance. This is not some dryly historical interpretation of a famous person but rather a complete abstraction, as Portman removes the associations and clichés and cultural baggage, beginning anew with the raw portrait of a grieving woman who summons the strength to persevere and to thrive.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Portman earned her first Oscar nomination in 2004 at the age of 23 for <i>Closer</i>, but she was thereafter mostly associated either with her role in the <i>Star Wars</i> prequels or as cinema’s preeminent manic pixie dream girl in <i>Garden State</i>. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2010 for <i>Black Swan</i> and has remained mostly out of the public eye since, apart from a few choice roles and her supporting appearances in Marvel’s blockbuster <i>Thor</i> movies. <i>Jackie</i>, then, marks a triumphant return to the Oscars for Portman and serves as a reminder she is one of the most talented performers working today.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAz9I0XJy-g/WK3M3xdLT4I/AAAAAAAACMM/xvMkQjBwgLMM91V8S732DMUVdczcu8BNACLcB/s1600/Actress-Isabelle%2BHuppert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAz9I0XJy-g/WK3M3xdLT4I/AAAAAAAACMM/xvMkQjBwgLMM91V8S732DMUVdczcu8BNACLcB/s320/Actress-Isabelle%2BHuppert.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Isabelle Huppert for&nbsp;<i>Elle</i></b>&nbsp;– Some nominations inspire spontaneous cheers in my home when they are announced, like Charlotte Rampling last year for Best Actress for&nbsp;<i>45 Years</i>,&nbsp;<i>Inherent Vice</i>&nbsp;for Best Costumes,&nbsp;<i>In Bruges</i>&nbsp;for Best Original Screenplay, and so on. Add Huppert to that list. For all the complaints – an annual tradition around the Oscars – about the Academy not casting a wide enough net and failing to look outside a certain subset of films, nominations like this serve as proof of the Academy’s willingness to reward brilliant work, no matter where it must be found.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Huppert’s work in&nbsp;<i>Elle</i>&nbsp;is undeniably brilliant. It is also brave, dangerous, and compelling. Huppert plays Michèle Leblanc. When the film opens, Michèle is brutally attacked and raped by a masked intruder in her home, but Huppert never portrays the character as a victim. She is the master of her fate, taking control of a situation that would be permanently scarring for most. This is an attitude she carries in both her personal and professional life, and in her uncomfortable interactions even with friends and family, Huppert shows us how difficult it must be to be this person all the time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Director Paul Verhoeven’s film gives the character license to be mean, to be angry, to be petty, and Huppert seizes that license and runs with it. Huppert plays Michèle like a woman ready to chew up anything and anyone in her path, despite dealing with the aftereffects of her attack, which are not what the audience expects nor what Michèle likely imagined. It is a supremely confident, consistently surprising performance from one of the best actresses of her generation.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AAPVq4bx3pc/WK3M6V-B6zI/AAAAAAAACMQ/U9Udj70pYbkbo_4L8oChkquJN1YT7a-qgCLcB/s1600/Actress-Ruth%2BNegga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AAPVq4bx3pc/WK3M6V-B6zI/AAAAAAAACMQ/U9Udj70pYbkbo_4L8oChkquJN1YT7a-qgCLcB/s320/Actress-Ruth%2BNegga.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ruth Negga for <i>Loving</i></b> – How wonderful would it be to live in a world where such stories needed no telling because such atrocities never occurred? What a beautiful dream that is. The truth, however, cannot be denied that at one time in this country, marriage between people of different races was outlawed. The dastardly things this says about the nation are too many to count. Mildred Loving never wanted to make history by ending this hideous practice. She just wanted to marry the man she loved and live in the state she chose.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Negga’s performance beautifully captures the irony that one need not be a radical person to change the world when simply living your life is a radical act. Negga’s work is more subdued and unassuming than her nominated peers, but it is no less powerful. Mildred is not a meek figure but rather quiet and resolute, which is how Negga portrays her. She knows what she wants, and with righteousness on her side, she sees a path to attain it. These stories need telling because these atrocities occurred, but how wonderful it is that people like Mildred Loving exist to stand up and declare what is right when so many others were so afraid.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Ethiopian-born, Irish-raised Negga is a celebrated stage actress and is a prominent performer on UK television, and while she has cropped up in films like <i>World War Z</i>and <i>Warcraft</i>, she is probably best known to American audiences for her role on the TV show <i>Preacher</i>. It is my sincere hope this recognition and this performance allow her to scale the highest peaks of the industry and bring her the kind of prominence she deserves.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SEkmtrImWHo/WK3M9kl-U_I/AAAAAAAACMU/fqDyX-ORvKAIFu9JhjC_0kowzjSSRv9MACLcB/s1600/Actress-Meryl%2BStreep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SEkmtrImWHo/WK3M9kl-U_I/AAAAAAAACMU/fqDyX-ORvKAIFu9JhjC_0kowzjSSRv9MACLcB/s320/Actress-Meryl%2BStreep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Meryl Streep for <i>Florence Foster Jenkins</i></b> – Sitting on the coffee table in front of me as I type this is the latest book on Streep, covering her early years in Hollywood. Written by Michael Schulman, it is aptly, and cheekily, called <i>Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep</i>. In accepting her Best Actress Oscar for 2011’s <i>The Iron Lady</i>, her third Academy Award, Streep mused half of America must be thinking, “Oh, no. Her. Again.” Whether that assessment was correct then, America has had many more chances to think such things with Streep picking up another three nominations since, including this one. That brings her record total to a nice, round 20.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It becomes easier with each one to dismiss the work. Streep is something of a Hollywood institution and an Academy Awards fixture. Since her first nomination – in 1978 for <i>The Deer Hunter</i> – there have been more years in which she has been nominated than in which she has not. On its face, that seems absurd, and I am sure we will get all the familiar jokes about it at this year’s ceremony. The fact is sometimes the Academy really does seem to nominate her just for doing work and being Meryl Streep, <a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2015/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-supporting.html">as I complained on this site two years ago</a>. Happily, I can report this is not a case such as that.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, <i>Florence Foster Jenkins</i> is by no means a good movie, nor is it worthy of the performance Streep delivers in the title role. Florence is a wealthy music patron with dreams of singing opera. She has no vocal ability to speak of but uses her money and influence to give performances to her friends and hangers-on. If you will pardon the expression, Streep gives a full-throated performance here, diving into Florence’s character as a woman who lacks talent but is gifted with deep wells of breathless enthusiasm and confidence. The movie’s message is objectionable – it wants to say, “Pursue your dreams no matter what,” but instead says, “Rich white people can have anything they want.” However, Streep’s performance is golden and this nomination hard-earned.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It initially seemed like this would be a competitive year in this category with Portman and Huppert earning most of the critical plaudits while Stone carried nearly every scene of the popular Best Picture frontrunner. Right around the time Huppert beat out Portman for the Golden Globe, though, Stone began building steam. She picked up her own Golden Globe, the BAFTA, and the SAG award. She will also be rewarded for providing the heart and soul of the likely Best Picture winner. Huppert could play spoiler, but expect this to be Stone’s night.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Emma Stone for <i>La La Land</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Natalie Portman for <i>Jackie</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> Viola Davis for <i>Fences</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Actor<o:p></o:p></i></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-402335841814061552017-02-21T11:58:00.000-08:002017-02-21T11:58:16.380-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Director<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cW8QsBDjFl0/WKybOek8JdI/AAAAAAAACLs/ss8YLDvk7Kgm8o3bsKm3qDlkRjr2L0P5QCLcB/s1600/Director-Denis%2BVilleneuve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cW8QsBDjFl0/WKybOek8JdI/AAAAAAAACLs/ss8YLDvk7Kgm8o3bsKm3qDlkRjr2L0P5QCLcB/s640/Director-Denis%2BVilleneuve.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Best Director nominee Denis Villeneuve (left), with Amy Adams, on the set of <i>Arrival</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Director</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Damien Chazelle for&nbsp;<i>La La Land</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Mel Gibson for&nbsp;<i>Hacksaw Ridge</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Barry Jenkins for&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Kenneth Lonergan for&nbsp;<i>Manchester by the Sea</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Denis Villeneuve for&nbsp;<i>Arrival</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">More than any other award, Best Director feels like a coronation. It is the honor that says: Welcome to the club, you are one of us. Four of these men – and once again, they are all men, for the 85th time in 89 years – are first-time nominees in this category. An Oscar is the greatest encouragement the Academy can give, a promise from members they find value in your work and wish to support it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For the fifth nominee, though, the only one in this group who is an Oscar winner already, a victory here would mean something far different. Gibson’s exile from the Hollywood mainstream was entirely of his own making. We are all familiar with the multiple vile, racist, misogynist outbursts that made him a pariah in cinema circles. His name will forever be attached to that ugliness, and even now, more than a decade later, the question remains whether we can forgive his trespasses. This nomination suggests an answer, but an Oscar win would be the definitive statement of forgiveness from a town that once loved him so.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A1GsmWIdjhk/WKybLCoGvpI/AAAAAAAACLo/JfeJ4jHDYdU62ocSZhiMDwKJz0AK0gHPwCLcB/s1600/Director-Damien%2BChazelle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A1GsmWIdjhk/WKybLCoGvpI/AAAAAAAACLo/JfeJ4jHDYdU62ocSZhiMDwKJz0AK0gHPwCLcB/s320/Director-Damien%2BChazelle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Damien Chazelle for&nbsp;<i>La La Land</i></b>&nbsp;– The “it” director of the moment is Chazelle, whose blockbuster musical drama has taken Hollywood by storm and enchanted the movie-going public at a time in our culture when enchantment is in short supply. In some ways, this has felt preordained since Chazelle hit the scene with his Oscar-winning triumph&nbsp;<i>Whiplash</i>&nbsp;two years ago. Once that film took home three trophies, it was clear Chazelle was working firmly in the Academy’s wheelhouse. Fast forward to today, and that assessment looks as on point as ever.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">None of the adulation is undeserved, as the 32-year-old wunderkind has demonstrated a remarkable facility for devising ingenious individual sequences and cobbling those moments into a wonderful whole. This is the biggest canvas he has had to paint on yet, and the result is, to borrow a word from the film’s advertising, magic. Combining technically masterful long-take musical numbers that leave audiences gaping in wonder with a story that is as much an ode to the artistic process as it is a romance, Chazelle crafts a film that feels both utterly original and achingly familiar. It is like a half-remembered dream to which you always wished to return, and Chazelle possesses the wizardry to take you there.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>La La Land</i>&nbsp;amazes with the sheer audacity of producing an old-school Hollywood movie musical for today’s world. It works because it plays equally well to dreamers and cynics, offering validation to the hopeful and disaffected alike. Chazelle puts his heart, soul, and every ounce of talent into this thing, and as long as Hollywood does not steal him away to make the next big superhero movie, it seems like he has much more of himself to give.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fr5AP-800aM/WKybHk8UWwI/AAAAAAAACLk/0sVCwpBnESIDyYw6v6DPtO0yOuTg3cYYQCLcB/s1600/Director-Barry%2BJenkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fr5AP-800aM/WKybHk8UWwI/AAAAAAAACLk/0sVCwpBnESIDyYw6v6DPtO0yOuTg3cYYQCLcB/s320/Director-Barry%2BJenkins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Barry Jenkins for&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i></b>&nbsp;– If anyone were to challenge Chazelle for the prize, it would be Jenkins for a film that could not be more different from&nbsp;<i>La La Land</i>. You have never seen a movie like&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i>. It is a coming-of-age tale that asks you to see yourself in someone who likely could not be more different from you. Few of us know firsthand the trials Little/Chiron/Black faces in his life, but Jenkins does, and through him, we are able to empathize with the character’s experience.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One would not think a moody, contemplative film about a world so far removed from most of us could be this engaging, this enthralling, and this magnificent.&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i>, which is ultimately a film about subverting expectations, subverts the expectations of the audience. Perhaps you have heard it is sad or slow, or perhaps you believe it will not appeal to you. Well, it is not sad; on the contrary, it is quietly triumphant. Slow is a matter of patience and willingness, and no film is slow that is guided by as sure and steady hands as these. Whether it will appeal to you is simply a question of whether you are able to feel sympathy and understanding for someone not like yourself.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">All of this is to say Jenkins has made a perfect film, and his greatest success is forcing the audience to meet him where he wants to go. This is not an easy film – no great art is – but it is a necessary, poignant reminder of the joys and sorrows of people we never see. Everything flows from Jenkins, who guides&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i>&nbsp;along a path that is sometimes shocking in its honesty, often aching in its beauty, and always leading toward transcendence.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A_4TWWEooD4/WKybFPyZ28I/AAAAAAAACLg/ZiYGAQ9bQcE3Xjpzi_qdvPuBv8vWVQKRQCLcB/s1600/Director-Kenneth%2BLonergan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A_4TWWEooD4/WKybFPyZ28I/AAAAAAAACLg/ZiYGAQ9bQcE3Xjpzi_qdvPuBv8vWVQKRQCLcB/s320/Director-Kenneth%2BLonergan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Kenneth Lonergan for&nbsp;<i>Manchester by the Sea</i></b>&nbsp;– Lonergan earned his master of fine arts degree in dramatic writing. He is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright. He is a three-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay, including this year for this film. It is safe to safe Lonergan is best known as a writer and, more than that, a writer of deeply humanistic dramas about finding connections in those closest to us. On this account,&nbsp;<i>Manchester by the Sea</i>&nbsp;is firmly within his wheelhouse.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What is not often spoken of is Lonergan the director, particularly as a guider of performances.&nbsp;<i>Manchester by the Sea</i>&nbsp;is the only film this year with three acting nominations to its credit, and yes, the performers are wonderful and talented, but it takes a specific kind of director to coax such tremendous work from a cast. Whatever that specific skill is, Lonergan is clearly possessed of it. This is most evidenced by the performance he draws out of young actor Lucas Hedges, who at 19 years old and in just his ninth big-screen appearance, sets a bar that will be hard to clear for his young peers.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The direction of the film is what one might call unfussy. Lonergan mostly hangs back and lets the words and performances do the heavy lifting, which is of course the right call for the material. When it comes time to show off, Lonergan and his able crew, including cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes, are more than game. But in a film about repressed emotions, it is Lonergan’s restraint as a director that reveals his ultimate strength.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ePWbI9TdLtg/WKybCmdD29I/AAAAAAAACLc/-8t6MWTwiK41O2WQA3evql4OTIgDeLwiwCLcB/s1600/Director-Denis%2BVilleneuve%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ePWbI9TdLtg/WKybCmdD29I/AAAAAAAACLc/-8t6MWTwiK41O2WQA3evql4OTIgDeLwiwCLcB/s320/Director-Denis%2BVilleneuve%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Denis Villeneuve for&nbsp;<i>Arrival</i></b>&nbsp;– The Quebecois director has been making films for more than 20 years, but he has rocketed to fame in the last six or seven. After directing the Best Foreign Language Film nominee&nbsp;<i>Incendies</i>&nbsp;in 2010, he made the jump to big Hollywood features with&nbsp;<i>Prisoners</i>, which though I found it tiresome was highly regarded. He also made the critically adored mindbender&nbsp;<i>Enemy</i>&nbsp;and the popular, Oscar-nominated&nbsp;<i>Sicario</i>, which was released last year.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have been in the minority on his films, finding them self-conscious, macho, and didactic – at least, his most recent few features. For me,&nbsp;<i>Arrival</i>&nbsp;is his first English-language feature truly worthy of the praise heaped upon it. Villeneuve directs the science-fiction epic like a low-key character study, letting the audience become invested in the plot through the people, not the action. There is some self-conscious flashiness here, but it feels of a piece with the story and the drama. Nothing is done simply for the sake of appearances.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Villeneuve, like Chazelle, is on his way up in the directing world, and he is already in post-production on the high-profile&nbsp;<i>Blade Runner</i>&nbsp;sequel&nbsp;<i>Blade Runner 2049</i>. He does not necessarily need the support or encouragement of the Academy, though I doubt he would reject it. Rather, this is an acknowledgement a filmmaker the Academy has had its eye on for a while now has made a film members simply adored.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xs-ua7_-boA/WKya_dWP-VI/AAAAAAAACLY/9juP6Tm7_tsN5gQiileRImxeN1gXXGwCwCLcB/s1600/Director-Mel%2BGibson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xs-ua7_-boA/WKya_dWP-VI/AAAAAAAACLY/9juP6Tm7_tsN5gQiileRImxeN1gXXGwCwCLcB/s320/Director-Mel%2BGibson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Mel Gibson for&nbsp;<i>Hacksaw Ridge</i></b>&nbsp;– Finally, we arrive back at Gibson – Mel, to his fans and supporters – and the question of whether forgiveness is possible, necessary, or just. I am of two minds, though I have the luxury of so being since I was not among the many targets of Gibson’s hate-filled invectives. My belief as a fan of cinema and art in general is that great art is great art, regardless of who produced it. If we agree the populace votes with its wallets, I think I am in the majority here, considering the record sales for someone like Michael Jackson, among other examples. If Gibson has produced work worthy of praise, we should praise it, though that should in no way be construed as forgetfulness or forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">On the other hand, in the world today, perhaps the last thing we need is to reward a rich, white racist and misogynist. Just because this describes well the leader of the free(ish) world does not mean we must celebrate such traits elsewhere. No one can know what is in Gibson’s heart, whether it has truly changed or if he feels no genuine remorse whatsoever. What we can know is what he has said in the past, words which are well documented and unavoidable. I do not know the answer, and I do not believe anyone else does or even can. I am saying I cannot judge you for what you feel, whatever it may be.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My feelings are thus: As a director, Gibson’s work on dark, gritty action-thrillers – among which let us count&nbsp;<i>The Passion of the Christ</i>&nbsp;for simplicity’s sake – has always been superb. He has a brilliant instinct for where to place the camera for maximum tension and effect, and his sense of pace and energy is astounding.&nbsp;<i>Hacksaw Ridge</i>&nbsp;is wobbly in its opening passages, where Gibson seems unsteady in setting up his war story, but once the war story hits and Gibson is in his element, the action is unparalleled. I will not tell anyone what to feel about the actions of the man, but I must say the actions of the director are tremendous.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The&nbsp;<i>La La Land</i>&nbsp;train really does feel unstoppable at this point, and as the conductor of that speeding locomotive, Chazelle is likely to pick up this award. He would be the youngest Best Director winner in Academy history, edging out Norman Taurog, who was 32 years and 9 months when he won for&nbsp;<i>Skippy</i>&nbsp;in 1931. Of all the history&nbsp;<i>La La Land</i>&nbsp;can make on Oscar night, this bit seems most assured.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b>&nbsp;Damien Chazelle for&nbsp;<i>La La Land</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win</b>: Barry Jenkins for&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b>&nbsp;Pablo Larraín for&nbsp;<i>Jackie</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Actress</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-1281512467135278922017-02-20T09:24:00.001-08:002017-02-20T09:24:26.431-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Documentary Short<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ewwwCw71fHQ/WKslaHJkmGI/AAAAAAAACKw/qSrJFd50zSYv11Mj_I46FDK0NIQ8MxsaACLcB/s1600/ShortDoc-41%2BMiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="334" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ewwwCw71fHQ/WKslaHJkmGI/AAAAAAAACKw/qSrJFd50zSYv11Mj_I46FDK0NIQ8MxsaACLcB/s640/ShortDoc-41%2BMiles.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Director Daphne Matziaraki's <i>4.1 Miles</i>&nbsp;is nominated for Best Documentary Short.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Documentary Short</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">4.1 Miles<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Extremis<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Joe’s Violin<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Watani: My Homeland<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The White Helmets<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The political winds of the nation are unavoidable in many of this year’s categories, but they seem particularly foregrounded here. One imagines at least four of these five nominees as a direct affront to the anti-immigrant, anti-art, anti-intellectual presidential administration. What all five of these films share, however – and what may be the biggest offense to the orange man in the White House – is that they are all resolutely pro-human.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">These films celebrate the basic humanity that connects us all, and as these subjects face unimaginable but very real tragedy and pain, they serve as a reminder of our responsibility to each other. This world does not belong, if it even belongs to anyone, to just one nation or just one people. The house is on fire, and if it goes down in flames, we all burn with it. While those in power light their matches, these films remind us to hold up our end of the hose so maybe we can salvage something.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5yqUooam4gk/WKslmLujz4I/AAAAAAAACK0/tyAIRI6vfKsZDfgvIcGP4d8EB2SWaUzCACLcB/s1600/ShortDoc-41%2BMiles%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5yqUooam4gk/WKslmLujz4I/AAAAAAAACK0/tyAIRI6vfKsZDfgvIcGP4d8EB2SWaUzCACLcB/s320/ShortDoc-41%2BMiles%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>4.1 Miles</i>&nbsp;(directed by Daphne Matziaraki)</b>&nbsp;– At one time or another, most people have wondered if they have what it takes to save a life. Few are ever confronted with that prospect. Greek Coast Guard captain Kyriakos Papadopoulos always wanted to be a commercial fisherman. Instead, he joined the Coast Guard, once a peaceful profession for him before the migrant crisis. Now, he is tasked with saving hundreds of lives every day, a duty for which he did not sign up but which he holds sacred no less.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Matziaraki, who won the Student Academy Award for <i>4.1 Miles</i>, follows Papadopoulos as he is called out to rescue stranded boat after stranded boat, filled with men, women, and children fleeing violence and oppression. He sees the faces – the anguish, the desperation, the despair – every day, but he goes back out every single time. These migrants had no choice but escape, and Papadopoulos has no choice but to help them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film is a wonderful companion piece to Gianfranco Rosi’s also Oscar-nominated feature documentary <i>Fire at Sea</i>. <i>4.1 Miles</i> is more focused and intimate, while <i>Fire at Sea</i> is a more all-encompassing experience, differences mostly attributable to runtime and reflecting not at all the quality of the endeavors. Matziaraki, who is Greek but lives in the Bay Area, has a wonderful feel for life in this town, and in just 26 minutes, she uncovers a disquieting rhythm of events as it becomes clear these stranded boats are becoming more and more a part of daily life.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44JDhJyg-lg/WKslpOfFJDI/AAAAAAAACK4/ZIw5Lsi8I-YFqmQNunyf4psdVVItB72JACLcB/s1600/ShortDoc-Watani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44JDhJyg-lg/WKslpOfFJDI/AAAAAAAACK4/ZIw5Lsi8I-YFqmQNunyf4psdVVItB72JACLcB/s320/ShortDoc-Watani.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Watani: My Homeland</i>&nbsp;(directed by Marcel Mettelsiefen)</b>&nbsp;– When filming a documentary on current events, watching history unfold before your camera, you can never be certain where the story will lead you. The courage and dedication to follow along its winding path is part of what makes a great documentarian and why films like Steve James’ <i>Hoop Dreams</i> and Barbara Kopple’s <i>Harlan County, USA</i> represent two of the peaks of the form. So, when German filmmaker Mettelsiefen began filming Syrian freedom fighter Abu Ali and his family, he could not have known the journey he was about to capture.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Mettelsiefen first filmed the Ali family in 2013 in Aleppo, Syria, for a PBS <i>Frontline</i>documentary. He returned the next year and the next for a follow-up doc, finally visiting the family once more in 2016 to shoot footage for this film. We are privileged to watch the Ali family’s four children grow and develop and mature over the course of years. We see how the conflict shapes and molds them, but we also get to see how the people they are is within them. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The oldest daughter, whether she knows it or not, is a poet, the middle daughter is irrepressible, while the only son is mature beyond his years. It should go without saying but bears repeating this family is not so different from any of ours but for the dire circumstances under which it lives. Dropped into a quiet American suburb, these children would still be poetic, irrepressible, and mature. If not for geography, they would be our neighbors and friends, though Mettelsiefen argues, in very real ways, they already are our neighbors and friends.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rA5UwzobMmw/WKsluOn_ftI/AAAAAAAACK8/GbJgPOTv76c283kqM1sClZkyNs5_X9aNQCLcB/s1600/ShortDoc-The%2BWhite%2BHelmets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rA5UwzobMmw/WKsluOn_ftI/AAAAAAAACK8/GbJgPOTv76c283kqM1sClZkyNs5_X9aNQCLcB/s320/ShortDoc-The%2BWhite%2BHelmets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>The White Helmets</i>&nbsp;(directed by Orlando von Einsiedel)</b>&nbsp;– Von Einsiedel and nominated producer Joanna Natasegara previously were nominated for Best Documentary two years ago for <i>Virunga</i>, which follows a team of volunteers fighting to save the last members of an endangered species. Both films concern heroes who are ordinary people but put themselves at great risk to make the world a better place.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here, we follow the eponymous White Helmets, a well-organized collective of ordinary Syrian citizens who have dedicated themselves to helping the victims of the Syrian and Russian bombing campaigns. When a bomb strikes, these men don their helmets and rush into the destruction, putting out fires, pulling people out of the rubble, and administering medical aid. These men are carpenters and accountants and chefs, but when crisis strikes, as it so often does in Syria, they are the first responders, the people on whom the community counts.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is, however, no tale of easy heroism. Von Einsiedel shows us the toll this work takes on the men, both physically and emotionally. The buildings bombed are their neighborhoods. The victims are their friends and family. They are always at risk and always targets. There is no safety in this place but what these brave men offer each other and their communities. We see this is not much but that it is better to have something, someone, than nothing at all and no one.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wQMpkVaaenY/WKslxTnbZ_I/AAAAAAAACLA/8Ec-9HZhsdI8BwpWoGbioeYeqpI0AV7tQCLcB/s1600/ShortDoc-Joes%2BViolin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wQMpkVaaenY/WKslxTnbZ_I/AAAAAAAACLA/8Ec-9HZhsdI8BwpWoGbioeYeqpI0AV7tQCLcB/s320/ShortDoc-Joes%2BViolin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Joe’s Violin</i>&nbsp;(directed by Kahane Cooperman)</b>&nbsp;– There are no ordinary circumstances under which Joe Feingold and Brianna Perez would meet. Feingold is a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor, and Perez is a 12-year-old student in The Bronx. Cooperman’s film shows us the bond they form over the title instruments and how small acts of charity can ripple through lifetimes. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After Feingold was liberated from a forced-labor camp at the end of World War II, he traded a carton of cigarettes for a violin, an instrument he had played since he was a child. It would be nearly 70 years before Perez came into his life. After hearing about an instrument drive on the radio, Feingold decided he no longer played his violin and perhaps someone else could get some use out of it. The instrument ended up in The Bronx at a school for underprivileged children, where learning violin is part of the curriculum. Given the violin’s storied past, the school determines to give it to a student who will cherish its history and create more of her own. This is Perez.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Cooperman mostly stays out of the way of the material, smartly recognizing she has a story that needs no embellishment. Her camera’s presence is all we require, and when Feingold and Perez meet and she plays for him, we are like a fly on the wall, witnessing something extraordinary. Yes, these are the kind of moments music makes, but more than that, these moments happen when we reach out, in however small a way, to connect to another person.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1JymO91mo-k/WKslz93o4FI/AAAAAAAACLE/ItU9lWfZrKkhSMIR_g9K9dgTOrJku1JsACLcB/s1600/ShortDoc-Extremis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1JymO91mo-k/WKslz93o4FI/AAAAAAAACLE/ItU9lWfZrKkhSMIR_g9K9dgTOrJku1JsACLcB/s320/ShortDoc-Extremis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Extremis</i>&nbsp;(directed by Dan Krauss)</b>&nbsp;– Conservative religious groups and certain members of the government would like us to spend a lot of time wondering when life begins. <i>Extremis</i>asks when life ends. Krauss’ camera takes us inside an intensive care unit, where doctors must help families make among the toughest decisions they ever will – whether to take their loved ones off life support or whether to extend their lives, and perhaps their suffering, by any means necessary.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film is undoubtedly emotionally charged as we see families wrestle with grief, guilt, faith, and hope, but it is never clear what the audience’s takeaway from any of this should be. <i>Extremis</i> feels like a Rorschach test, which is perhaps what was intended by Krauss, a previous nominee in this category 11 years ago. It is impossible to watch the film without wondering what we would do for our loved ones as they near death or what we would want done for us under similar circumstances. Whatever you bring to the movie, though, will be what you take from it. This makes for compelling viewing, but it is not particularly enlightening.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Any could win, and except for <i>Extremis</i>, which is the weakest of these nominees, though by no means a bad film, any would be a worthy winner. It will be interesting to see what kind of night we are in for at the Academy Awards. The likely historic success of <i>La La Land</i> suggests this is the year of escapism, of turning to the movies to forget that the world is falling apart around us. However, in little ways, all across the ceremony, Academy members have the chance to lodge their protest.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Under normal circumstances, or even just circumstances when the Doomsday Clock felt closer to 11:59 than midnight, I would predict <i>Joe’s Violin</i> without a second thought. However, these are not normal circumstances, and midnight is fast approaching. While the uplifting music documentary about the Holocaust survivor would seem to check all the boxes of a usual winner, I cannot imagine the Academy would pass up the opportunity to address the concerns of the moment, if only because these concerns are everyone’s concerns.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This leaves us with three possibilities: <i>Watani</i>, <i>The White Helmets</i>, and <i>4.1 Miles</i>. It is possible the two Syrian-set films will split the vote and open the door for <i>4.1 Miles</i>. For emotional resonance, though, not to mention the dedication of the filmmakers and the global relevance of its topic, it seems <i>Watani</i>may be the film to beat.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Watani: My Homeland<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> 4.1 Miles<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Director</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-13411243960703116742017-02-19T09:29:00.000-08:002017-02-19T09:29:07.306-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Documentary<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HaxsEKnCW9E/WKnVVyOsFbI/AAAAAAAACJ0/AFeLZgS6Zac2qKHBuAhIusUvTDAfmw5LACLcB/s1600/Doc-OJ%2BMade%2Bin%2BAmerica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HaxsEKnCW9E/WKnVVyOsFbI/AAAAAAAACJ0/AFeLZgS6Zac2qKHBuAhIusUvTDAfmw5LACLcB/s640/Doc-OJ%2BMade%2Bin%2BAmerica.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><i>O.J.: Made in America</i>&nbsp;is the best film of the year and is nominated for Best Documentary at the Oscars.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Documentary</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">13th<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fire at Sea<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">I Am Not Your Negro<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Life, Animated<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">O.J.: Made in America<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The first thing that sticks out right away about this group is the presence of three nominees dealing directly with the issue of racial inequality in America. Coming off of last year’s #Oscarssowhite controversy the Academy seems to have course-corrected in a big way, not only here but with three films about the black experience in America nominated for Best Picture and with six black performers nominated in the acting categories. One year does not mean all is well on this front, and there is much more work to be done, but this wonderful group of nominees suggests that work can get done.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is not to suggest these films are simply token nominations, far from it. <i>O.J.: Made in America</i> of course was my No. 1 film of the year, while both <i>13th</i> and <i>I Am Not Your Negro</i> appeared on my list of honorable mentions. Each is a magnificent portrait of black life in America, and each comes from a distinct and memorable point of view. In addition, with <i>Life, Animated</i>, four of the five nominated filmmakers this year are black. I cannot confirm quickly this has never happened, but I would go so far as to guess it is incredibly rare. So, due kudos to the Academy. Keep it up. We’ll be watching.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pf6h9FxtUMo/WKnVjd1xX3I/AAAAAAAACJ4/FjpxmqWRJx054C0CK2hZ2fUUfNcc-4SoQCLcB/s1600/Doc-OJ%2BMade%2Bin%2BAmerica%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pf6h9FxtUMo/WKnVjd1xX3I/AAAAAAAACJ4/FjpxmqWRJx054C0CK2hZ2fUUfNcc-4SoQCLcB/s320/Doc-OJ%2BMade%2Bin%2BAmerica%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>O.J.: Made in America</i> (directed by Ezra Edelman) </b>– With a runtime of seven hours, 47 minutes, this is the longest film ever nominated for an Academy Award. I have seen it twice and would watch it again in a heartbeat. It is absolutely riveting from its first to its final moments. After the smashing success of the <i>Serial</i> podcast and the <i>Making a Murderer</i> documentary series, true-crime stores are more popular than ever, with everyone racing to get theirs out the door. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We have seen <i>The Jinx</i>from HBO already, and my understanding is there is a JonBenét Ramsey docuseries and a Menendez Brothers docuseries in the pipeline. All of these projects have had or will have varying degrees of critical or popular success. <i>O.J.: Made in America</i> is part of this boom but also stands apart from it, as Edelman raises true crime to the level of high art, like Truman Capote with a video camera.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">No stone is left unturned, no detail is too small, and no person is above reproach in the recounting of one of the most famous crimes in American history. But this is not solely the story of O.J. Simpson and the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. That story we know well. This is the definitive statement on the racial climate in America that created Simpson and led to the Trial of the Century. Never before have the pieces been laid out so clearly, so thoroughly and so brilliantly.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The myriad feats of this film – from the mountains of research to the gargantuan editing task – make it remarkable this film was even made. That the finished product is one of the most engrossing, fascinating, rewarding documentaries ever produced is an absolute miracle. The resurgence in popularity of the Simpson trial, with this film and the fictionalized TV series, should spur Academy members to watch this despite its daunting runtime. They will not be disappointed, and I cannot see how they could vote for anything else.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uaOAWrZz128/WKnVmiPrRQI/AAAAAAAACJ8/S6vUf52Ppp4BJVQrF1JsIGn6UhuYZA50ACLcB/s1600/Doc-13th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uaOAWrZz128/WKnVmiPrRQI/AAAAAAAACJ8/S6vUf52Ppp4BJVQrF1JsIGn6UhuYZA50ACLcB/s320/Doc-13th.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>13th </i>(directed by Ava DuVernay)</b> – It starts with one clause in the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which outlawed slavery “except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” It was so easy for all of us to miss, but it was always there, staring us in the face: Slavery shall not exist, except … How dastardly! How insidious! How perfect a way for the powerful to remain powerful by keeping the enemies to their power in chains.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">DuVernay, the magnificent director who gave us <i>Selma</i> and <i>Middle of Nowhere</i>, does not miss the importance of this clause and uses her film to trace it step by step to the world we find ourselves in today. Every presidential administration, every congress, and indeed every corporate leader has in some way contributed knowingly and willfully to the widening gap between black and white life in America. From the cinema to the schools to the halls of government, no institution is without blood on its hands.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film carefully connects the dots for the audience, constructing a richly detailed timeline of oppression. DuVernay once again proves herself to be a master filmmaker, here putting her gifts to use in crafting a visually arresting work of montage that draws direct parallels to the overt segregation of the mid-1900s to the covert segregation still in place today. If <i>13th</i> has a flaw, it is that it covers too much material in too short a runtime. Another 45 minutes to an hour would have given the film more room to breathe and the audience more time to soak in its message. In truth, though, I would watch a 10-hour film from DuVernay on this subject, such is the magnitude of her talent.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ETn986fscEE/WKnVplpuYUI/AAAAAAAACKA/M-b8RXtrxjIv2V6jhodlgbyHv0YGTBc1QCLcB/s1600/Doc-I%2BAm%2BNot%2BYour%2BNegro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ETn986fscEE/WKnVplpuYUI/AAAAAAAACKA/M-b8RXtrxjIv2V6jhodlgbyHv0YGTBc1QCLcB/s320/Doc-I%2BAm%2BNot%2BYour%2BNegro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>I Am Not Your Negro</i> (directed by Raoul Peck)</b> – If <i>O.J.: Made in America</i> plays like a grand opera and <i>13th</i> like a piercing cry of protest, <i>I Am Not Your Negro</i> is closer to a fireside chat with one of the smartest, most eloquent, and most important figures in the Civil Rights Era. Author and activist James Baldwin died in 1987, outliving his most famous friends by nearly two decades and leaving behind a body of work that adds up to an essential truth about this country.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Peck bases his film on Baldwin’s final, unfinished work, <i>Remember This House</i>, which was meant to cover the lives and assassinations of his friends, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. Peck gives voice to Baldwin’s remarkable prose and employs a jazzy, fluid style that brings Baldwin’s ideas fully to life.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I Am Not Your Negro</i>is unique and beautiful because it could only come from Baldwin, and Peck wisely does not impose too much directorial will on the film, allowing Baldwin to be the star. The ideas are universal and wide ranging, but their power comes from Baldwin, who saw it all, wrote it down, and had the foresight to know what it meant. It is disheartening to see how little has changed from the era when change was the order of the day. In fact, we are slipping backward. If Baldwin were here today, though, the film seems to argue, he would tell us not to lose heart but rather to steel ourselves for the fight to come.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H5UGokwnIck/WKnVst34E5I/AAAAAAAACKE/uyfvdeoEhbIxWnKz3UuQ5e0ynSpHFcxyACLcB/s1600/Doc-Fire%2Bat%2BSea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H5UGokwnIck/WKnVst34E5I/AAAAAAAACKE/uyfvdeoEhbIxWnKz3UuQ5e0ynSpHFcxyACLcB/s320/Doc-Fire%2Bat%2BSea.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Fire at Sea </i>(directed by Gianfranco Rosi)</b> – Rosi’s sumptuous film is a cinema vérité look at the European migrant crisis seen through eyes of the people on the small Italian island of Lampedusa. While their little island is one of the frontlines in the migrant crisis, the inhabitants of Lampedusa seem generally unaffected, though not unperturbed, by the international emergency taking place on their shores. They go about their lives, making lunch, listening to the radio, taking out their boats, and wandering the island much as if no migrant ever were to land there.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rosi’s camera simply watches, though in simply watching he produces some of the most beautiful cinematography of the year in any film. The power comes from the repetition and the slowly dawning realization the people on this island stand in for all of us. There are few countries in the world untouched by the migrant crisis, yet we go about our daily routines generally unmoved. With everything going on in this nation and the world over, who has the energy to be so emotionally involved anymore?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Then, Rosi unveils his greatest coup, and we are left wondering how we cannot be involved. He tags along with a patrol sent to rescue a stranded migrant boat, and for 20 or so uninterrupted minutes, the full depth of this crisis is laid bare. Dozens dead, dozens more sick or dying, they crammed onto a boat not suited for this trip and risked everything because no matter what was on the other end of their journey – homelessness, poverty, prison, or deportation among the likeliest outcomes – it would be better than what they left behind. Yet, here we sit, here we know, and here we do nothing. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EHF7KsGKKVw/WKnVwdxLCqI/AAAAAAAACKI/imTRUcBGtjwSaSf_JyD3yHU0wCrmXY48QCLcB/s1600/Doc-Life%2BAnimated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EHF7KsGKKVw/WKnVwdxLCqI/AAAAAAAACKI/imTRUcBGtjwSaSf_JyD3yHU0wCrmXY48QCLcB/s320/Doc-Life%2BAnimated.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Life, Animated</i> (directed by Roger Ross Williams)</b> – If we were going to play a game of “One of these things is not like the other things …” this would be the one not like the others in this group. Against three vitally important, energizing films about race and one about the European migrant crisis, the story of a family’s struggle to understand autism certainly feels low stakes. That may be true for the rest of us, but for the Suskind Family at the film’s center, the stakes could not be much higher.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Based on journalist Ron Suskind’s book of the same name, Williams’ film charts the highs and lows of having a son with autism, dealing honestly and openly with a subject few people fully comprehend. The crux of the story is that Owen Suskind learns to communicate by watching Disney animated films, most of which he has memorized. We are told the exaggerated emotions and facial features of the characters in an animated film are easier to interpret for a person with autism.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The obvious problem here is the sense the whole film is some kind of pro-Disney propaganda piece, and there are times when it feels that way. However, the film does not shy away from showing us all the life events such as finding a job and navigating sexuality that have no cognate storylines in Disney. <i>Life, Animated</i> does not rise to the level of the other films in this category – its story is too personal and too specific to be universal – but as a wonderful piece of documentary filmmaking, it is not so out of place.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In all likelihood, this comes down to the three films about race in America, though I would never underestimate a film about the power of film, particularly Disney. But to confine our analysis, <i>O.J.: Made in America</i> has the gravitas to win and has picked up almost every major award out there. <i>13th</i>has on its side timeliness, relevance, and DuVernay, whose snub for <i>Selma</i> stands as one of the more stinging omissions in recent Oscar history. <i>I Am Not Your Negro</i> meanwhile has captured the zeitgeist and set box-office records in the theaters where it is showing.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Any of the three would make a deserving winner of which the Academy could be proud. All represent the kind of achievement this category is made to recognize. In some ways, though, apart from its length, <i>O.J.: Made in America</i> is the most traditional of the three in its form and presentation, something that could make it more palatable to voters. I am obviously biased here by my love for the film, but I genuinely do not see how the others, as wonderful as they are, stack up, and I hope and believe the Academy will see it the same way.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> O.J.: Made in America<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> O.J.: Made in America<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> Weiner<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Documentary Short<o:p></o:p></i></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-80160259802870239432017-02-18T16:05:00.003-08:002017-02-18T22:50:38.752-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Animated Short<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IrKwzSI9W78/WKjg5u2LNvI/AAAAAAAACI8/GWQhfhudJMkRjRz5E-tbM_r9zEU5ckapQCLcB/s1600/AniShort-Piper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IrKwzSI9W78/WKjg5u2LNvI/AAAAAAAACI8/GWQhfhudJMkRjRz5E-tbM_r9zEU5ckapQCLcB/s640/AniShort-Piper.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Pixar's <i>Piper</i>&nbsp;is nominated for Best Animated Short.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>Best Animated Short</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Blind Vaysha<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Borrowed Time<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Pear Cider and Cigarettes<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Pearl<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Piper<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Every year, I have to remind myself Pixar has not won this award since 2001. This year represents the company’s ninth nomination since that last victory and 13th overall. It is almost inconceivable it has been 15 years since the greatest modern force in film animation won this award. There is almost certainly no conspiracy here, but it seems an odd coincidence the company has not won the short award since the inception of the Animated Feature category, which it has absolutely dominated.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I am not suggesting other nominees have not been more deserving over the years, but eight straight losses? It strikes me as highly implausible the team producing the best animated features around – hell, some of the best features of any kind, often – is not also doing incomparable work with its short films. So, one must wonder what Pixar has to do to win this award again. This year, I believe Pixar has produced the finest animated short in&nbsp;<i>Piper</i>. I do not believe it will win, but I am at a loss to explain why.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-glu40BoelO8/WKk__yzZhRI/AAAAAAAACJQ/5i8wBfv9AzQjoXSs-9FOAgLmHe9CKKeSgCLcB/s1600/AniShort-Piper%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-glu40BoelO8/WKk__yzZhRI/AAAAAAAACJQ/5i8wBfv9AzQjoXSs-9FOAgLmHe9CKKeSgCLcB/s1600/AniShort-Piper%2B2.jpg" /></a></div><b><i>Piper</i></b>&nbsp;– Writer-director Alan Barillaro’s short played in front of Pixar’s massive smash-hit sequel&nbsp;<i>Finding Dory</i>, so if it has a leg up on the competition anywhere, it is in exposure. Of course, the Pixar shorts have that advantage every year, and it has not produced a victory in quite some time. Barillaro has been with Pixar for nearly 20 years and was a supervising animator on Best Animated Feature winners&nbsp;<i>The Incredibles</i>,&nbsp;<i>Wall-E</i>, and&nbsp;<i>Brave</i>. This is his first film as director, and it is a doozy.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It follows the story of a young sandpiper whose mother tries to teach it to find food on its own. After a traumatic incident involving a rogue wave, the little sandpiper must learn to overcome its fears and join its community on the beach. It is a sweet, simple story, well told and impressively communicated. If that were not enough, it features some of the most photorealistic animation I have ever seen. The water effects in particular are jaw dropping and are alone worthy of honor. It must be seen to be believed.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b5UfgU6quYc/WKlACm_yycI/AAAAAAAACJU/SNj-iFXhbhMLQvEOSAkQIf0ATL46aYBNwCLcB/s1600/AniShort-Pear%2BCider%2Band%2BCigarettes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b5UfgU6quYc/WKlACm_yycI/AAAAAAAACJU/SNj-iFXhbhMLQvEOSAkQIf0ATL46aYBNwCLcB/s320/AniShort-Pear%2BCider%2Band%2BCigarettes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Pear Cider and Cigarettes</i></b>&nbsp;– This is the nominee for the adults. You can tell because in theaters, it plays last, after the other nominees and highly commended non-nominees, with a warning to take children out of the theaters. Director Robert Valley uses animation to tell the true story of his relationship with a wild childhood friend, Techno, who is suffering from terminal liver disease and holed up in a military hospital in China.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film, which runs 35 minutes and is longer than the rest of the nominees combined, is essentially a blow-by-blow account of Techno’s hard-partying lifestyle and later his debilitating illness. It is honest, unsentimental, and unflinching in its account and shot through with a jazzy, neo-noir style that seems a perfect fit for the material. Valley obviously cares deeply for his friend, but the film’s major flaw is that it never gives the audience as much reason to care. The director’s dedication carries the film a long way, but the film ultimately lingers on the surface. As much as it wants us to know Techno, we never get close enough truly to see him.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CVpi8tEE_yg/WKlAFCRm-lI/AAAAAAAACJY/MwgkQyUs1CAYgJtkDRYiO2Pif8iEmAPVQCLcB/s1600/AniShort-Pearl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CVpi8tEE_yg/WKlAFCRm-lI/AAAAAAAACJY/MwgkQyUs1CAYgJtkDRYiO2Pif8iEmAPVQCLcB/s320/AniShort-Pearl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Pearl</i></b>&nbsp;– Produced in part by Google, director Patrick Osborne’s touching father-daughter travelogue is the first virtual reality film to be nominated for an Academy Award. It is a laudable achievement and no doubt one of which voters will likely be aware, but I wonder how many will have the opportunity to see it with its full virtual reality setup.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I saw it in a traditional 2D theater environment, and while the story is sweet and relatable, much of the film plays like a glorified, if impressive, music video. This makes sense in a way, since the story concerns a father who gives up his dreams of being a musician to provide a stable life for his daughter only to see her follow his nomadic path out on the road with her band. Osborne won an Oscar in this category two years ago for the visually stunning and emotionally moving&nbsp;<i>Feast</i>. While&nbsp;<i>Pearl</i>&nbsp;does not reach those heights, it is possible voters will be swayed by its technical innovation as much as its story.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--ISSzdmXb3c/WKlAH4aYBGI/AAAAAAAACJc/iZT-DlQoEPctd86QA_HYz0YnrhxgQdg5wCLcB/s1600/AniShort-Borrowed%2BTime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--ISSzdmXb3c/WKlAH4aYBGI/AAAAAAAACJc/iZT-DlQoEPctd86QA_HYz0YnrhxgQdg5wCLcB/s320/AniShort-Borrowed%2BTime.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Borrowed Time</i></b>&nbsp;– Spawned from the minds at Pixar but having nothing to do with Pixar, directors Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj spent five years developing this film while working in various capacities on films such as&nbsp;<i>Inside Out</i>,&nbsp;<i>Brave</i>, and&nbsp;<i>Toy Story 3</i>. Their day jobs clearly had a deep influence on the art and style of their side project, but it is unique, both in execution and its decidedly more adult subject matter.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film depicts an Old West sheriff approaching the scene of a long-ago accident and remembering the feelings of guilt and despair that have brought him back to this place. The animation is lovely, and in particular, the moving clouds in the sky in some of the wide shots are remarkable. The care and effort Coats and Hamou-Lhadj put into the animation is palpable, but the story seems under-baked by just a hair, leaving the audience with more questions than answers. It ultimately feels like a brilliant opening act to a movie I want to see the rest of.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MKAgQN6pSEQ/WKlAK34YaJI/AAAAAAAACJg/e1-3yFM1o9wmBwI9XEFDd-XUQRvWMbXUACLcB/s1600/AniShort-Blind%2BVaysha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MKAgQN6pSEQ/WKlAK34YaJI/AAAAAAAACJg/e1-3yFM1o9wmBwI9XEFDd-XUQRvWMbXUACLcB/s320/AniShort-Blind%2BVaysha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Blind Vaysha</i></b>&nbsp;– If I explain to you the concept of director Theodore Ushev’s&nbsp;<i>Blind Vaysha</i>, it will sound like a wonderfully intriguing idea. However, you will quickly wonder where this idea goes. Let’s give it a try: Vaysha is born with a condition in which she sees the past through one eye and the future with the other, which means she is perpetually unable to live in the moment. Based on a story by Georgi Gospodinov, Ushev smartly cops to the film’s lack of internal logic and proceeds dream-like through a fable whose moral is stated explicitly to the audience in the final passages.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Bulgarian filmmaker is a legend in the animation community and rightly so.&nbsp;<i>Blind Vaysha</i>&nbsp;is stunning to look at, replicating a classic wood-cut style with all of the flaws and inconsistencies that make it feel real. The film’s presentation of the dual timelines through which Vaysha sees the world is a feast for the eyes, but with a story that goes nowhere and a simplistic closing scene,&nbsp;<i>Blind Vaysha</i>&nbsp;is probably the least of these nominees and also the least likely to win.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>The final analysis</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The two most likely winners are&nbsp;<i>Pear Cider and Cigarettes</i>&nbsp;for the scope of its story and its moody presentation and&nbsp;<i>Pearl</i>&nbsp;for its technological breakthrough and heartfelt plotline. I hold out hope&nbsp;<i>Piper</i>&nbsp;can end Pixar’s ridiculous drought in this category, but I won’t count on it. Because I think Academy members will have difficulty identifying the innovation of&nbsp;<i>Pearl</i>&nbsp;without seeing it in its intended virtual reality format, I give the slight edge to&nbsp;<i>Pear Cider and Cigarettes</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b>&nbsp;Pear Cider and Cigarettes<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>&nbsp;Piper<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b>&nbsp;Inner Workings<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Documentary</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-31556558261427335632017-02-17T07:04:00.000-08:002017-02-17T07:04:29.960-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Animated Feature<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W6Xlwmhb_ao/WKcQgSe9HNI/AAAAAAAACIc/l_EqO-LN6SoLzVuJoUsY5M65zMAxfwKQwCLcB/s1600/Ani-Zootopia%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W6Xlwmhb_ao/WKcQgSe9HNI/AAAAAAAACIc/l_EqO-LN6SoLzVuJoUsY5M65zMAxfwKQwCLcB/s640/Ani-Zootopia%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><i>Zootopia</i>&nbsp;is nominated for Best Animated Feature.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Animated Feature</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Kubo and the Two Strings<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Moana<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">My Life as a Zucchini <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Red Turtle<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Zootopia<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Best Animated Feature is a studio game, plain and simple. This is the 16th year since the category became official at the Oscars, and in that time, there have been 64 nominated features. Of those 64, 31 have come from just three studios – Pixar (Disney Pixar), Disney, and Dreamworks. Of the 15 winners, not counting this year of course, those three studios have accounted for 12. The boom in independent animation has been wonderful for the industry, but if you want to win an Oscar, come with big boys or don’t come at all.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This year represents one of the few times Pixar had an eligible feature (<i>Finding Dory</i>) that failed to get a nomination, but Disney made up for it with a double nomination (<i>Zootopia</i> and <i>Moana</i>). Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli earned its sixth nomination with its first non-Japanese production (<i>The Red Turtle</i>), and Laika picked up its fourth nomination (<i>Kubo and the Two Strings</i>) for its fourth film, a perfect record that so far has produced zero wins. French-Swiss co-production <i>My Life as a Zucchini</i>is the only independently produced nominee, and not coincidentally, it is the least likely winner.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>*Note: Full disclosure, I have not yet seen </i>My Life as a Zucchini<i>, which will not be released here until Feb. 24, two days before the ceremony. I will write about it in this space once I have had the opportunity to see it.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HPFOLGSW6_s/WKcQoUUF5_I/AAAAAAAACIg/Av_SoOYEe0QZeiXh2UMqne4BOIfBIvZUACLcB/s1600/Ani-Zootopia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HPFOLGSW6_s/WKcQoUUF5_I/AAAAAAAACIg/Av_SoOYEe0QZeiXh2UMqne4BOIfBIvZUACLcB/s320/Ani-Zootopia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Zootopia</i> (directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore)</b> – <i>Zootopia</i> has been the animated movie of the moment pretty much the whole year. Its clever examination of race relations and prejudice teaches viewers a valuable lesson, and it is also undeniably entertaining and hilarious. Released early in 2016, as the U.S. presidential election truly was beginning to ramp up, it felt important and relevant then, and it has only grown more so as events in this nation have unfolded.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film not only forces us to question our preconceived notions and biases, but it also wants us to question who benefits from those biases and how those people build systems that reinforce and worsen prejudice. Of course, this is all done in the style of a computer-animated talking-animal movie in which an adorable bunny (a bunny is allowed to call another bunny “cute,” but another animal …) realizes her dream of becoming a police officer. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The writing is smart, the animation is inspired, and the message is moving and necessary. Given all that – and the fact it has been a dominant and beloved force all season – you are probably looking at your winner. It would be the third non-Pixar Disney winner in the last four years, joining <i>Frozen</i> and <i>Big Hero 6</i>, and fifth straight from either Pixar or the parent company. Howard is a previous nominee for <i>Bolt</i> and Moore for <i>Wreck-It Ralph</i>, while nominated producer Clark Spencer will be making his first trip to the Oscars.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AHKYqBlMIkU/WKcQr_R_23I/AAAAAAAACIk/PbQ2o8XppdkFNRzI4TMcXQhJu-saOA9agCLcB/s1600/Ani-Moana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AHKYqBlMIkU/WKcQr_R_23I/AAAAAAAACIk/PbQ2o8XppdkFNRzI4TMcXQhJu-saOA9agCLcB/s320/Ani-Moana.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Moana</i> (directed by Ron Clements and John Musker)</b> – Of course, I will be rooting for the other Disney nominee in the category. If Best Animated Feature existed in the ’90s, Clements and Musker probably would already have a couple Oscars for <i>The Little Mermaid</i>and <i>Aladdin</i>, both of which they also directed together. As it stands, their only previous nomination together came in 2009 for <i>The Princess and the Frog</i>, which lost to Pixar’s crowning achievement, <i>Up</i>. Clements earned a solo nomination for <i>Treasure Planet</i> in 2002, though that feature was also co-directed by Musker.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Moana</i> is the story of a young Polynesian girl, Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho), torn between duty to her people and an insatiable desire to explore the world beyond her island. When the island is threatened by a curse that will wipe out all life, she sets out to find the demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) and, with his help, end the curse. As a tale of a young girl’s strength, wisdom, and independence, it is revolutionary in the Disney canon, encouraging traits in a young girl rarely encouraged by the movies or, sadly, by the world at large.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Beyond that, it is a terrific entertainment with the most gorgeous animation of the year – particularly the water effects, which are remarkable – and one of the best, most listenable Disney soundtracks in a long time. The songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i, and Mark Mancina are endlessly hummable, instantly memorable, and in the case of the showstopper “How Far I’ll Go,” out-and-out brilliant. The voice acting is on point, and the world of the story is absolutely engrossing. As I have said before, this is not only the best animated film of the year but one of the best films of the year, period.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nH-N59EVkbw/WKcQvUCnLsI/AAAAAAAACIo/a0k-5dxPZVo1Zi2Ug_reYrrI9URrymODgCLcB/s1600/Ani-Kubo%2Band%2Bthe%2BTwo%2BStrings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nH-N59EVkbw/WKcQvUCnLsI/AAAAAAAACIo/a0k-5dxPZVo1Zi2Ug_reYrrI9URrymODgCLcB/s320/Ani-Kubo%2Band%2Bthe%2BTwo%2BStrings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Kubo and the Two Strings</i> (directed by Travis Knight)</b> – Where I find myself in the minority with my unabashed affection for <i>Moana</i>, I also find myself in the minority with my muted appreciation of <i>Kubo and the Two Strings</i>. Along with <i>Zootopia</i>, Knight’s stop-motion film gobbled up the lion’s share of critical kudos and has been talked about as the most likely spoiler in this category. Only the second animated film ever nominated for Best Visual Effects, the animation is undoubtedly gorgeous to look at, but on a story level, the film does not hold up.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Kubo and the Two Strings</i> is a story of magic, tradition, and family, but the film’s default setting for communicating each of these ideas is action – action, action, and more action. Again, I would never deny Knight, who is also president and CEO of Laika, and his team bring their vision to life in a stunning fashion. Every sequence is magnificently realized and lovingly detailed. In between action sequences, though, the story bogs down, seemingly unsure what to do with itself when not engaged in a battle of some sort. As such, whatever message the film is trying to communicate is lost in the morass of combat.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-weVlgscwky8/WKcQy9eNikI/AAAAAAAACIs/dlr1MRPJSNsGTzUqgpQVLXuBCwDnJfa5wCLcB/s1600/Ani-The%2BRed%2BTurtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-weVlgscwky8/WKcQy9eNikI/AAAAAAAACIs/dlr1MRPJSNsGTzUqgpQVLXuBCwDnJfa5wCLcB/s320/Ani-The%2BRed%2BTurtle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>The Red Turtle</i> (directed by Michael Dudok de Wit</b> – The story goes Studio Ghibli co-founder and animation legend Hayao Miyazaki met with the head of Wild Bunch studio and screened the Oscar-winning animated short <i>Father and Daughter</i>. He then asked Wild Bunch to find him that director. That was in 2008, and after finding Dudok de Wit and convincing him to make a film for the studio, the world got <i>The Red Turtle</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">A marvel of hand-drawn animation, Dudok de Wit’s style is recognizably his own, while still maintaining that certain Studio Ghibli charm, no doubt aided by the presence of nominated producer Toshio Suzuki. The plot, such as it is, follows the life of a man who gets shipwrecked on a deserted island and makes a life for himself there. To reveal anything further would be to dispel some of the film’s magic, though the trailer does a pretty good job of that anyway. <i>The Red Turtle</i> is intentionally slow and contemplative, but even at 80 minutes, it feels long, like a magnificent short idea stretched out to feature length.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>My Life as a Zucchini</i></b> – <i>*See note above<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Zootopia</i> is the juggernaut here, the billion-dollar grosser from one of the biggest studios in the world. It won the Golden Globe and the Producers Guild award for animated feature, and it has picked up numerous critical accolades. <i>Kubo and the Two Strings</i> is the underdog from the little stop-motion studio that could. Its triumph at the BAFTA Awards over <i>Zootopia</i> and <i>Moana</i> certainly raises questions for the Academy. Could this be the year Laika finally breaks through? I wouldn’t bet on it. Expect Disney’s recent run of dominance to continue, though not necessarily for its best new film.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b>Zootopia<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Moana<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> Finding Dory<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Animated Short<o:p></o:p></i></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-35012830588149482252017-02-16T07:09:00.001-08:002017-02-16T07:09:37.957-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Live Action Short<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ugJs27Ed70/WKW__08_UUI/AAAAAAAACH0/t4E74niyflwCZl2st2jpoVLGnjEXB4BsgCLcB/s1600/ShortLive-Sing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ugJs27Ed70/WKW__08_UUI/AAAAAAAACH0/t4E74niyflwCZl2st2jpoVLGnjEXB4BsgCLcB/s640/ShortLive-Sing.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Hungarian film <i>Sing</i>&nbsp;is nominated for Best Live Action Short.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>Best Live Action Short</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ennemis Intérieurs<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">La Femme et le TGV<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Silent Nights<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sing<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Timecode<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Oscar season is my favorite time of year, and my favorite part of the season, apart from the ceremony itself, is the opportunity to see these wonderful nominated short films in theaters. Every year, the live action, animated, and documentary shorts cited here amaze with their technical wizardry, their storytelling brilliance, and their wonderful craftsmanship.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After a run of five out of six years in which an English-language film has taken home this award, not one of this year’s nominees is in English, happily opening up the category to the best of world cinema. Unlike in recent years, when the quality of these nominees has been consistent across the board, this year, I feel, features films with a greater disparity between the best and the rest. The first three films discussed here are all tremendous, and any would make a fine winner. The last two are more problematic for reasons outlined below. Regardless, this year’s group is as exciting as ever, so let’s dive in.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DC9MU9J0fCo/WKXAMgsGaNI/AAAAAAAACH4/TtGTAVU4yOIY42eWx4ujpvThbTXKTOWOwCLcB/s1600/ShortLive-Sing%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DC9MU9J0fCo/WKXAMgsGaNI/AAAAAAAACH4/TtGTAVU4yOIY42eWx4ujpvThbTXKTOWOwCLcB/s320/ShortLive-Sing%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Sing</i></b> – Director Kristóf Déak’s drama about friendship, loyalty, corruption, and protest in a Hungarian children’s choir is the most complete film of these five. The script, which Déak co-wrote with Bex Harvey and Christian Azzola, carefully lays in everything we need to know about these girls and their world without hitting you over the head with it. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The subtle writing and tender direction are the perfect instruments to tell the story of Zsófi (Dóra Gáspárvalvi), who joins the school choir but is told to pantomime by the bully choir director Miss Erika (Zsófia Szamosi). Zsófi, devastated, goes along with this order until her new best friend, Liza (Dorka Hais), one of the best singers in school, learns of the indignity. Liza is appalled, and together, the friends form a plot to right this wrong.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The performances by the two young actresses Gáspárvalvi and Hais are stellar and perfectly evoke the feelings of youthful friendship and camaraderie. As you would expect, the use of music throughout is wonderful, capturing the spirit of these girls and channeling childlike joie de vivre. Déak’s stealthy and purposeful directions draws viewers in and sets them up for the film’s climactic confrontation. Though each of these nominees has its own virtues, <i>Sing</i> is the only one among them I would call a perfect film in miniature.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_Phoq5GGag/WKXARFDdzzI/AAAAAAAACH8/NYeXB5dSm34xSlt44vYYBS6ncjqYxspnQCLcB/s1600/ShortLive-La%2BFemme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_Phoq5GGag/WKXARFDdzzI/AAAAAAAACH8/NYeXB5dSm34xSlt44vYYBS6ncjqYxspnQCLcB/s320/ShortLive-La%2BFemme.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><i>La Femme et le TGV</i></b> – All that said, to pick one of these for the win, to determine which the Academy might go for, I would have to bet on this sweet chocolate truffle of a film. <i>La Femme et le TGV</i> stars the inimitable actress and performer Jane Birkin as a woman who wakes up bright and early every day to wave happily to the high-speed commuter train that passes by and rattles her house. She begins a pen-pal relationship with the train’s conductor, who drops letters and packages of cheese out the window of the train at 200 miles per hour. This relationship spurs her to break out of her shell and take on the world with renewed passion and vigor.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Swiss writer-director Timo von Gunten crafts a wonderful confectionary delight with this film, showing what happens when we let our routines control us and the wonders that can take place when we finally break those routines. Birkin is as tremendous as you would expect in the role of Elise, who has kept herself guarded so long it shocks her entire community to see her transformation. When the film deals her a decidedly low-key but cruel twist, we are pleased to see her dust herself off and carry on, stronger than perhaps she has ever been.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Von Gunten’s direction is simply lovely, and of all the nominees, this certainly feels the most like a big Hollywood production, the presence of Birkin in the central role only adding to that sensation. The obvious production value, the big star, and the sweet, well-told story all add up to the kind of film that can win big in this category.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E-vW_iV_ZXs/WKXAXRYVHHI/AAAAAAAACIA/dXD5Afswo5QRp7ZWHz0Vo6NCJy3ZNhSKgCLcB/s1600/ShortLive-Timecode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E-vW_iV_ZXs/WKXAXRYVHHI/AAAAAAAACIA/dXD5Afswo5QRp7ZWHz0Vo6NCJy3ZNhSKgCLcB/s320/ShortLive-Timecode.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Timecode</i></b> – The Palme d’Or winner for best short film at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Juanjo Giménez Peña’s sweet, inventively told romance follows the story of two lonely security guards who discover a surprising connection. To reveal that connection would be to spoil much of the film’s charm and heart, so I will say only that it all builds to one of the funniest closing lines of any movie this year. The romance is played beautifully by actors Lali Ayguadé and Nicolas Ricchini, and Peña’s direction is consistently amusing and wonderful.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">At 15 minutes, this is the shortest film in the bunch, but it is also one of the most satisfying. The way Peña builds to the climax through repeated shot setups and small visual cues is masterful, and when the film finally breaks form, it is electrifying. A couple of the other nominated films are more topical and a couple are better produced, but for crowd-pleasing entertainment told with a fresh, exciting visual style, it would be hard to beat <i>Timecode</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B1u6fKTSJ3k/WKXAbPhwseI/AAAAAAAACIE/W3jxVdxVqWQ9QRoDYQ8DQ5OPQTKSEqCFQCLcB/s1600/ShortLive-Ennemis%2BInterieurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B1u6fKTSJ3k/WKXAbPhwseI/AAAAAAAACIE/W3jxVdxVqWQ9QRoDYQ8DQ5OPQTKSEqCFQCLcB/s320/ShortLive-Ennemis%2BInterieurs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Ennemis Int</i></b><b><i>érieurs</i></b> – The most clunky and least cinematic offering in this group, this nevertheless is the most politically charged and socially relevant film cited here. Writer-director Selim Azzazi’s <i>Ennemis Int</i><i>érieurs</i>, which means literally “Internal Enemies,” concerns a French-Algerian man applying for French citizenship and the government official tasked with his “extreme vetting,” to use the parlance of our time. The man, known only as the applicant (Hassam Ghancy), is questioned about his loyalty to France, his respect for French values, and his ties to the Muslim community.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film is set almost entirely within two interrogation rooms, aside from a couple artful flashbacks, and consists mostly of the interrogator (Najib Oudghiri) trying to break down the applicant, to push and prod him until his dignity and sense of self have been eroded. It is sickening to watch, and you and I both know such things and much worse are happening right now in this country, which is disgusting. It is an affront to basic human decency, and Azzazi does not so much dramatize it for us as make it real. For what it lacks in cinematic value and subtly, it more than makes up in timeliness and relevance.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ALDCUxprUhc/WKXAe847SsI/AAAAAAAACII/aRCowMwONzQd1ox5IA_Gw-_i7xxcf6DwACLcB/s1600/ShortLive-Silent%2BNights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ALDCUxprUhc/WKXAe847SsI/AAAAAAAACII/aRCowMwONzQd1ox5IA_Gw-_i7xxcf6DwACLcB/s320/ShortLive-Silent%2BNights.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Silent Nights</i></b> – Here is a well-made film with its heart in the right place that I simply cannot endorse. Director-co-writer Aske Bang wants to tell a story about overcoming prejudice and finding connections where we least expect them, both noble goals. Unfortunately, he also engages and depicts every negative stereotype about immigrants he can think of and mixes it with a healthy dose of white saviorism. A movie that for most its 30-minute run time is a charming story about two people from wildly different backgrounds finding love becomes uncomfortable to watch in its closing passages thanks to its inelegant plotting and muddled political message.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Salvation Army volunteer Inger (Malene Beltoft Olsen) meets homeless Ghanaian immigrant Kwame (Prince Yaw Appiah) and the two instantly connect. After their courtship is derailed by Kwame’s life in Ghana, the film kicks into full white-savior mode with Inger coming to Kwame’s rescue. On top of this, Kwame is shown multiple times to be a thief, an opportunist, and a liar, immigrant stereotypes that serve only to reinforce prejudices. There is the hint of a good idea here, and the filmmakers, including producer and two-time Oscar winner Kim Magnussesn, clearly have the best intentions. One only wishes those intentions had translated into a better movie.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Any of these could win. It just depends on what kind of mood the voters are in. They could choose to reward the zeitgeist-capturing social relevance of <i>Ennemis Int</i><i>érieurs</i> or <i>Silent Nights</i>, or they could go with the well-crafted, well-told professionalism of <i>Sing</i>, <i>La Femme et le TGV</i>, or <i>Timecode</i>. My best guess is the latter will rule the day, particularly the glossy shimmer of <i>La Femme et Le TGV</i>.<i> <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La Femme et le TGV<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win: </b>Sing<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Animated Feature</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-62674294360431653152017-02-15T07:33:00.000-08:002017-02-15T07:33:15.851-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Foreign Language Film<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qHVbaYvQLi4/WKRz0zakqUI/AAAAAAAACHI/Nzy7CJlAh4UfQmFja7MyFIDuh1vkavHUACLcB/s1600/Foreign-Toni%2BErdmann%2B2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qHVbaYvQLi4/WKRz0zakqUI/AAAAAAAACHI/Nzy7CJlAh4UfQmFja7MyFIDuh1vkavHUACLcB/s640/Foreign-Toni%2BErdmann%2B2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Sandra Huller in <i>Toni Erdmann</i>, nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Foreign Language Film</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Land of Mine<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">A Man Called Ove<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Salesman<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tanna<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Toni Erdmann<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">At the core of all these films is forgiveness. <i>Land of Mine</i> asks if we can forgive the most horrific crimes against humanity in order to keep a piece of ours. <i>A Man Called Ove</i> asks if we can forgive a world that has treated us unfairly and snatched away the only thing we cared about. <i>The Salesman</i> asks if we can forgive the man who harmed our family when vengeance is within our grasp. <i>Tanna</i> asks if we can forgive a generations-old grudge and forge a new future with our most hated adversaries. <i>Toni Erdmann</i> asks if we can forgive our parents for their faults and recognize them as just as human as we are.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a group of five wonderful films with a lot to say about the world in which we live. Their stories are not only about forgiveness but about sexism, abuse of power, tolerance, prejudice, hope, healing, love, humanity, decency, and so much more. Yet, when one looks at the world today and sees the direction in which things are headed, it perhaps does not seem so bad to focus, just a little extra, on forgiveness. That may be the only way to make it out of these times with our own decency intact.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IFiip01cpK8/WKR0J2BSkEI/AAAAAAAACHM/yIS2pb5GtycFW-NQ8RoxI5d55pp3wEsKQCLcB/s1600/Foreign-The%2BSalesman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IFiip01cpK8/WKR0J2BSkEI/AAAAAAAACHM/yIS2pb5GtycFW-NQ8RoxI5d55pp3wEsKQCLcB/s320/Foreign-The%2BSalesman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>The Salesman</i> (directed by Asghar Farhadi)</b> – The elephant in the room is that of the Elephant Party and its racist, un-American, and inhumane travel ban. The current presidential administration’s ban on travelers from seven of this world’s nations includes Iranian filmmaker Farhadi, as well as his cast and crew (one of the lead performers in <i>A Man Called Ove</i> also would be banned). The administration deigned to offer the director a waiver to allow him into their country – which is not their country, by the way – but Mr. Farhadi’s dignity is not for sale, and he will not be attending the ceremony. My understanding is the other filmmakers in this category convened to discuss a gesture of support for their absent comrade, and to that I say bravo.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Outside the context of world events, <i>The Salesman</i> is an excellent psychological thriller that refuses ever to do the obvious thing. It zigs where one expects it to zag, and ultimately, the film, which starts off about the quest for vengeance, becomes a parable about the power and necessity of forgiveness. Now put that story in the context of world events and see where you stand.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is just Iran’s third film to compete in this category and the second by Farhadi, who won this award in 2011 for <i>A Separation</i>. He is not only a great Iranian filmmaker but a master of the form in any language. This would be a deserving winner in any year, but in the political context of this nation, right now, to award a film this universal and this human, I can think of no better protest.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sQ-TdKmZpLU/WKR0OKUoovI/AAAAAAAACHQ/izTMpTg_zr4yRxNwcPKfTVR0mBARr83YwCLcB/s1600/Foreign-Toni%2BErdmann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sQ-TdKmZpLU/WKR0OKUoovI/AAAAAAAACHQ/izTMpTg_zr4yRxNwcPKfTVR0mBARr83YwCLcB/s320/Foreign-Toni%2BErdmann.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Toni Erdmann</i></b> <b>(directed by Maren Ade)</b> – The prohibitive frontrunner for this award, <i>Toni Erdmann</i> is an epic built on its smallest moments. Writer-director Ade crafts a film of quiet elegance that is also downright hilarious, exploring the relationship between a woman trying to navigate the world of international business and her prankster father who just wants her to live her life a little. The film has a lot to say in its three-hour runtime about sexism in the workplace, as well as ethically murky business practices, and it takes these subjects very seriously. However, it is also a heartwarming father-daughter comedy punctuated by some of the funniest gags you will see in any movie this year.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The lead performances by Sandra Hüller as the daughter and Peter Simonischek as the father are magnificent, and it is a treat to watch them gingerly navigate a relationship both need but of which both are wary. This is a film that loves its props and visual gags, but apart from being laugh-out-loud funny, those gags serve as a way to chart the relationship between the two characters. I can assure you never before have comedy fake teeth been used to generate more genuine emotion than in this film. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Germany’s Oscar history is muddled by the time a dangerously psychotic world leader built a wall. … I’ll just let that hang there for a moment. … West Germany scored eight nominations in this category, while East Germany was also cited once. Since the reunification, German filmmakers have been nominated another 10 times, bringing the total to 19, which would tie with Spain for third-most all time behind Italy and France. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s <i>The Lives of Others</i>was the most recent German winner, and there is a strong chance Ade will be the next.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TRsSkUJpVNQ/WKR0W3FtUKI/AAAAAAAACHU/E8gENmplo9Usf5RGI3MWsDtYytnU5IJqwCLcB/s1600/Foreign-A%2BMan%2BCalled%2BOve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TRsSkUJpVNQ/WKR0W3FtUKI/AAAAAAAACHU/E8gENmplo9Usf5RGI3MWsDtYytnU5IJqwCLcB/s320/Foreign-A%2BMan%2BCalled%2BOve.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>A Man Called Ove</i> (directed by Hannes Holm)</b> – If any of these films can be called crowd-pleasing, this would be it, and by the standards of this category, it is a blockbuster. With $3.4 million in box-office receipts, it made more than double what the other four nominees have earned combined (at the time of this writing). Though three of the other films remain in theaters, it is likely this will remain top dog from a financial standpoint. When it comes to awards and the Academy in particular, financial success is never a bad thing for two reasons: First, voters like to reward success, and second, it means more people are likely to have seen your movie.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Holm’s direction is crisp and breezy, telling the story of Ove (Rolf Lassgård), who bitterly shuts out the world after the death of his wife but slowly allows himself to be drawn into a community. Like others of its ilk, particularly those films coming out of Sweden, it walks a thin line between comedy and drama, often refusing to distinguish between the two. Like Roy Andersson’s <i>A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence</i> and Felix Herngren’s <i>The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared</i> – though not so cumbersomely titled – <i>A Man Called Ove</i> finds humor in the tragedy of life and tragedy in the hilarity of it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As a nation, Sweden resides comfortably alongside Italy, France, Japan, and Spain in the top five of most wins, most nominations, and most submissions in the Foreign Language category. From 15 nominations, Swedish filmmakers have picked up this award three times. Actually, strike that. One Swedish filmmaker has picked up this award three times – the great Ingmar Bergman. Bergman is the only Swedish director to earn the gold here, and it is an understandably high bar for any other Swedish filmmaker to clear. Holm has a very real opportunity to do just that this year.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Q5LySiwkIg/WKR0c9JgaoI/AAAAAAAACHY/yi8ZZxv9e5MmWGVGzMaz4-IrqvnL7M-pwCLcB/s1600/Foreign-Tanna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Q5LySiwkIg/WKR0c9JgaoI/AAAAAAAACHY/yi8ZZxv9e5MmWGVGzMaz4-IrqvnL7M-pwCLcB/s320/Foreign-Tanna.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Tanna</i> (directed by Martin Butler and Bentley Dean)</b> – Set against the backdrop of a remote South Pacific Island, lush with rainforest and dominated by an active volcano, <i>Tanna</i>is a classical Shakespearean drama brought to life in a richly detailed, authentically felt new way. Two warring tribes forge a fragile peace and agree to exchange brides. However, one of the girls offered, Wawa (Marie Wawa), runs off with her lover, Dain (Mungau Dain), and the young couple is hunted by both tribes.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The story of the film is ostensibly true, and members of the Yakel tribe, to which Wawa and Dain belong, are asked to tell it in their own words (using the native Nauvhal language). If there are elements of <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> in here, then there, too, are elements of tribal ritual, mysticism, and natural communion. Butler and Dean pull all of these elements together to bring to light a story of tolerance, peace, and forgiveness, the roots of which apply to all peoples the world over.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is the first Australian film to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and the filmmakers deserve credit for not imposing an imperial or western point of view on the film. It may be an Australian production – and kudos to the Australian committee for submitting to the Academy such a beautiful film about an underrepresented population – but this film belongs to the Yakel tribe and the people of Vanuatu who make the story sing. They bring truth, energy, and intensity to a story as old as storytelling itself.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejfFB6j4a4Q/WKR0gUJWEAI/AAAAAAAACHc/oxwBtJvqVE48VoreyNsL7sAQq23i7kZXgCLcB/s1600/Foreign-Land%2Bof%2BMine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ejfFB6j4a4Q/WKR0gUJWEAI/AAAAAAAACHc/oxwBtJvqVE48VoreyNsL7sAQq23i7kZXgCLcB/s320/Foreign-Land%2Bof%2BMine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Land of Mine</i> (Martin Zandvliet)</b> – Harrowing is perhaps the only apt descriptor for this film about German POWs forced to remove the landmines from Danish beaches. The beauty of <i>Land of Mine</i>, which Zandvliet wrote and directed, is that it operates on both a purely visceral level and a resolutely intellectual one. It is a nerve-fraying experience to watch young boys uncover and disarm landmines buried in the sand, and Zandvliet rings every ounce of tension out of the situation. However, this is not the filmmaker’s only goal, and had it been, <i>Land of Mine</i> would not be half the movie it is.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The layers of guilt and blame and horror and pain stack one on top of the other throughout this film. There is never a question what we are witnessing is cruel and unusual punishment at least, a war crime at worst.&nbsp; Make no mistake, these are captured Nazi soldiers, perpetrators and defenders of a system of unspeakable evils, but they are also teenage boys who cry out for their mothers and just want to go home. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Nazism is one of the worst horrors ever visited upon humanity, and to their captors, these boys represent that horror, no matter how small or large a hand they may have played in it. Rightly or wrongly, these boys will pay for their nation’s crimes against humanity, but to do so, their punishers must forfeit their own humanity. Yet I am in no position to judge, and if I am ever called upon to answer for the crimes of my country, I may think it unfair, but I will not be at a loss to understand the motivation.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Denmark has a solid history with the Oscars, scoring three wins from 12 nominations, and its recent history is even better. The Danes have landed a nominee in this category six times in the past 11 years and four of the past five. The most recent winner was Susanne Bier in 2010 for <i>In a Better World</i>. <i>Land of Mine</i> is an unquestionably difficult sit, and as evidenced by its paltry box-office take, it seems audiences are of wary of it. I won’t say they needn’t be, but its virtues are so great and its message so important it demands to be seen anyway.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">On general acclaim and critical success, <i>Toni Erdmann</i> seems like the most likely winner. Out of last year’s Cannes Film Festival, it was the talk of the town and remained that way month after month. Ade even picked up a number of Best Director mentions on the critics awards circuit. The film is both entertaining and intelligent and would make a handsome winner. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here, however, I will go against the consensus. Oscar ballots only reached voters hands in the last week, and the zeitgeist film of the moment is <i>The Salesman</i>, given its relevance to world events. That newsiness will almost certainly put more voters in seats to see the film – whether in theaters or at home on screener – and once they see it, its power will be hard to deny. If you are trying to win an Oscar pool, <i>Toni Erdmann</i> is the safe bet, but my gut tells me the Academy will see fit to honor the Iranian master Farhadi, both for his wonderful film and for what that honor would mean.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> The Salesman<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Land of Mine<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> The Handmaiden<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Live Action Short</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-86467486727885461812017-02-14T07:54:00.002-08:002017-02-14T07:54:45.555-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Supporting Actress<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vx-S_LjcrzE/WKMnbC8G9gI/AAAAAAAACGg/0W5z_rtE8oIAhw4nnQX0ZGrzgQWeV5D4gCLcB/s1600/SuppActress-Viola%2BDavis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vx-S_LjcrzE/WKMnbC8G9gI/AAAAAAAACGg/0W5z_rtE8oIAhw4nnQX0ZGrzgQWeV5D4gCLcB/s640/SuppActress-Viola%2BDavis.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Viola Davis is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work in <i>Fences</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>Best Supporting Actress</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Viola Davis for <i>Fences</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Naomie Harris for <i>Moonlight</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Nicole Kidman for <i>Lion</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Octavia Spencer for <i>Hidden Figures</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Michelle Williams for <i>Manchester by the Sea</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I <a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-supporting.html">promised yesterday</a> I would rail against the obvious category fraud taking place here, so here it goes: Anyone who thinks Rose Maxson (Davis) is a supporting character in <i>Fences</i>is objectively, demonstrably wrong. Not only that, but to consider Rose a “supporting” character is to miss the entire point of her character and in many ways the point of August Wilson’s play, one of its many points, anyway. She is the heart, soul, and center of the story. The version of <i>Fences</i> in which Rose is a “supporting” character is not a version I wish to see.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So how does this narrative form, that Rose is a supporting character and Davis’ a supporting performance? It starts with the studio and its awards campaigners, who believe Davis’ best chance for winning an Oscar is in the Supporting Actress category. In truth, yes, the day it was announced Davis would be campaigned in Supporting Actress, the competition ended. Everyone else was playing for second place. But I cannot believe the critics fell in line with this absurd ruse, that the actors, who honored Davis at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, could not break her out of this box. It boggles the mind.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, I will stand up and cheer loudly and vigorously when Davis’ name is called out and she collects the Oscar statue she so richly deserves. Imagine, though, what it would have meant for the world to see the Academy, for just the second time in its 89-year history, to award a black actress Best Actress. It would have been one of the greatest moments in the history of the Academy Awards. Her victory, which is all but assured, will be sweet, but think how much sweeter it could have and should have been.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbdrUqZQJ6c/WKMnojqXxLI/AAAAAAAACGk/Mio8SY2KzuEj6uwTI35bDeKixOgh4GDEACLcB/s1600/SuppActress-Viola%2BDavis%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbdrUqZQJ6c/WKMnojqXxLI/AAAAAAAACGk/Mio8SY2KzuEj6uwTI35bDeKixOgh4GDEACLcB/s320/SuppActress-Viola%2BDavis%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Viola Davis for <i>Fences</i></b> – In naming Davis’ work here <a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/01/year-in-review-top-10-performances-of.html">the best performance by an actress in 2016</a>, I called her a national treasure. This is no exaggeration. When given the kind of material she deserves, the kind that requires depth and honesty and truth and beauty and all of that, Davis delivers every time a performance of depth and honesty and truth and beauty and all of that. Rose Maxson is the role of a lifetime, and Davis, who won the Tony Award for this role when it played on Broadway – in lead actress for those keeping score at home – does not let it pass her by.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Davis is a three-time Oscar nominee, the first time in Supporting Actress for an actual supporting role in <i>Doubt</i> in 2008 and the second time for Best Actress for <i>The Help</i> in 2011. She was the prohibitive frontrunner for <i>The Help</i>but lost to Meryl Streep, who is of course Meryl Streep, so what can you do but tip your cap. There will be no such shock this year. Davis will win. She will receive a standing ovation. And it may just be the best moment of the night.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-krkLzeJBxBI/WKMnsyRUWhI/AAAAAAAACGo/MRWCSIadGnMrtxnVjQMFbsV9pFGnsMABQCLcB/s1600/SuppActress-Naomie%2BHarris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-krkLzeJBxBI/WKMnsyRUWhI/AAAAAAAACGo/MRWCSIadGnMrtxnVjQMFbsV9pFGnsMABQCLcB/s320/SuppActress-Naomie%2BHarris.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Naomie Harris for <i>Moonlight</i></b> – It may seem I am disrespecting the other performances nominated here by suggesting everyone else is playing for second. It is not meant as disrespect but as a show of my overwhelming respect for Davis. The other work cited here is all phenomenal, and Harris in particular delivers a performance of great range and complexity as a drug-addicted mother whose own son seems unknowable to her. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Harris famously had reservations about playing the crack-addicted mother Paula in <i>Moonlight</i>, fearing the trap of playing into obvious stereotypes and caricatures. She was convinced by writer-director Barry Jenkins’ investment in the character and by Paula’s complete emotional arc throughout the film. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The glory of <i>Moonlight</i>is that none of the characters is just one thing, and Harris takes this mission statement as an invitation to explore the rich nature of Paula’s past, present, and future. She strikes a deep vein of emotional truth, eliciting empathy even in Paula’s darkest moments. Were Davis properly cited in the lead category, Harris would be a good bet for the win here and a deserving winner without doubt. As it is, the nomination is likely the reward.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A02ybzDLPmI/WKMnwGpka5I/AAAAAAAACGs/Ubn5fV4lmgsUa8oVdfrxcrJZUeA5uXoRACLcB/s1600/SuppActress-Nicole%2BKidman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A02ybzDLPmI/WKMnwGpka5I/AAAAAAAACGs/Ubn5fV4lmgsUa8oVdfrxcrJZUeA5uXoRACLcB/s320/SuppActress-Nicole%2BKidman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Nicole Kidman for <i>Lion</i></b> – Kidman may have one of the most difficult careers to pin down of any Hollywood leading lady. The perception of Kidman is that she is an A-list celebrity and movie star of the highest order. She already has won a Best Actress Oscar, for <i>The Hours</i> in 2002, and she has appeared in blockbuster-type films like <i>Batman Forever</i> and <i>The Golden Compass</i>, the relative success and quality of those films not being the point here. To dig deep into her list of credits, however, is to dig into the career of one of the most fearless, experimental, and versatile actresses of our time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In <i>Lion</i>, she plays Sue Brierly, the adoptive mother of the Indian orphan at the center of the story. Her joy is palpable in offering a second chance at life to a lost child, as is her anguish when she feels that child growing up and slipping away from her. The role of adoptive mother is a thankless one in some ways because no matter your connection, the child has an instinct to know his real mother. This is particularly true in Sue’s case, since her son’s real mother is out there looking for him and never meant to lose him. Kidman plays this inner conflict to perfection, and through her, the audience understands the emotional stakes of the film.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GcZTR2N50EI/WKMnzjGR5RI/AAAAAAAACGw/ioO1A_t_Y-8SSz_p8zLyKBWMq2ZLWqHSwCLcB/s1600/SuppActress-Octavia%2BSpencer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GcZTR2N50EI/WKMnzjGR5RI/AAAAAAAACGw/ioO1A_t_Y-8SSz_p8zLyKBWMq2ZLWqHSwCLcB/s320/SuppActress-Octavia%2BSpencer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Octavia Spencer for <i>Hidden Figures</i></b> – In some way or another, each of the women nominated in this category plays a character suffering through the pain of circumstance. There is a wife whose husband gets another woman pregnant, a single mother living in the slums, an adoptive mother losing her grip on her family, and a young mother who suffers a terrible tragedy. Finally, there is Dorothy Vaughan, played by Spencer, whose circumstances may be the most unfair of all. A brilliant mathematician, it is her unfortunate luck to be born a black woman into a segregated world.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What makes <i>Hidden Figures</i> and the women whose story the film tells so inspiring is that they do not allow their obstacles to define them. They define themselves by the ways in which they overcome those obstacles. Vaughan is the supervisor of the black women’s computer unit at NASA, but she is neither treated like a supervisor nor paid like one. Rather than be defeated or retreat into anger, she goes about making herself and her team indispensable, demanding to be noticed for her work simply by doing her work. Spencer, an Oscar winner in this category for <i>The Help</i>, is a joy to watch, playing Vaughan’s moment of triumph as a well-earned relief. Finally, she says, and we all agree.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9iou0bHxpgQ/WKMn2n0RcPI/AAAAAAAACG0/QQbprW3RIsI726v6mSH9M08EGtZGpdIKACLcB/s1600/SuppActress-Michelle%2BWilliams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9iou0bHxpgQ/WKMn2n0RcPI/AAAAAAAACG0/QQbprW3RIsI726v6mSH9M08EGtZGpdIKACLcB/s320/SuppActress-Michelle%2BWilliams.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Michelle Williams for <i>Manchester by the Sea</i></b> – Williams’ screen time as Randi in <i>Manchester by the Sea</i> is brief, limited to just a couple scenes, but her impact is tremendous. In a film built largely around emotionally devastating moments, Randi’s short, awkward, painful reunion with her ex-husband (Casey Affleck) may take the cake for most heartrending. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Randi is a woman whose new life is built on the ashes of unimaginable tragedy, and Williams shows us how she is always a word, a glance, a moment from everything crumbling into dust again. Watching her try to hold it together in the face of this knowledge is a marvel, and Williams is expert in conveying her fragile foundation. Affleck’s character demonstrates what happens when we bury grief too deeply, allowing it to become a part of who we are. Williams’ Randi is the other side of that coin, what happens when the grief is always right there, just under the surface.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Two words: Viola Davis. Four, if you prefer: Viola Davis, Oscar winner.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Viola Davis for <i>Fences</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Viola Davis for <i>Fences</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> Judy Davis for <i>The Dressmaker</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Foreign Language Film<o:p></o:p></i></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-1078319921999885102017-02-13T08:45:00.000-08:002017-02-13T08:45:33.449-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Supporting Actor<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8QKTzXqa8mA/WKHh2RNG57I/AAAAAAAACF0/FdJpT9qgPfoPWrHKaoriBFoIhZsIysawwCLcB/s1600/SuppActor-Michael%2BShannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="334" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8QKTzXqa8mA/WKHh2RNG57I/AAAAAAAACF0/FdJpT9qgPfoPWrHKaoriBFoIhZsIysawwCLcB/s640/SuppActor-Michael%2BShannon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Michael Shannon is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work in <i>Nocturnal Animals</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Supporting Actor</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Mahershala Ali for&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jeff Bridges for&nbsp;<i>Hell or High Water</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lucas Hedges for&nbsp;<i>Manchester by the Sea</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Dev Patel for&nbsp;<i>Lion</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Michael Shannon for&nbsp;<i>Nocturnal Animals</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is an unusual year in that none of the characters portrayed by these five men is a villain. Supporting Actor generally is the home of the villain at the Oscars. There was a run from 2007-2009 when Javier Bardem (<i>No Country for Old Men</i>), Heath Ledger (<i>The Dark Knight</i>), and Christoph Waltz (<i>Inglourious Basterds</i>) won this award for playing over-the-top, larger-than-life villains who steal their respective films right out from under the heroes. Just two years ago, JK Simmons swept up every award in sight for his mercilessly villainous role in&nbsp;<i>Whiplash</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The reasons for this over-representation of villainy seem clear enough. From the earliest films noirs through the Bond villains of the 1960s right on through to today, writers have crafted their antagonists as witty, urbane, fun, and out-sized, while actors dig right in every time, chewing up scenery and stealing the show. Villains have always been big, and the Academy loves to reward big. How wonderful, then, this year, the actors went another way.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Beyond not being villains, it would be hard to characterize any of these performances as any one thing. They are complex, three-dimensional portraits of mostly good people trying to do the best they can in worlds of limited options. The five nominated actors here do not so much steal the show as weave themselves into the fabric of the stories being told. They disappear in their roles and resurface in these characters to give us a better understanding of their points of view and their experiences.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jRWN5POt2As/WKHiN39w9MI/AAAAAAAACF4/pjnG9VqiMkwxygVG1L47sCCHW-JyD_8NACLcB/s1600/SuppActor-Mahershala%2BAli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jRWN5POt2As/WKHiN39w9MI/AAAAAAAACF4/pjnG9VqiMkwxygVG1L47sCCHW-JyD_8NACLcB/s320/SuppActor-Mahershala%2BAli.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Mahershala Ali for&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i></b>&nbsp;– In a year of complex character studies, few characters are as complex or as studied as Ali’s Juan, a kind-hearted drug dealer who befriends and scared, lonely young boy. There is never any question of Juan’s status within his community – he is a kingpin and rules over all he surveys. He commands respect at every turn and gets it. He lives a hard life on hard streets in hard times, but he refuses to let his circumstances make him a hard man. Such is the power of a script that exists solely to force the audience to confront its prejudices and preconceived notions.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">None of this would land as well, however, without Ali’s strong, confident performance at its heart. He infuses his character with a gentleness you would not expect. He displays a tenderness he not only refuses to bury but even seems eager to share. Ali is quiet and still, communicating in small gestures and nods, letting the world – and thereby, the audience – come to him. Juan only appears in the first of the film’s three acts, but Ali’s performance makes us feel both his absence and his impact throughout the rest of the story.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GLkNAI6Oleo/WKHiRb3ccOI/AAAAAAAACF8/1xot2YTJ-WoXd8COurV1mfWYpnHFRdphgCLcB/s1600/SuppActor-DevPatel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GLkNAI6Oleo/WKHiRb3ccOI/AAAAAAAACF8/1xot2YTJ-WoXd8COurV1mfWYpnHFRdphgCLcB/s320/SuppActor-DevPatel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Dev Patel for&nbsp;<i>Lion</i></b>&nbsp;– I complain every year about category fraud, and I promise – or warn, as the case may be – I will rail about it tomorrow, when we discuss Best Supporting Actress. The fraud here is more subtle.&nbsp;<i>Lion</i>&nbsp;is the story of Saroo Brierly and his long journey to find the family he lost. The film’s opening 45-50 minutes concern Saroo’s early life, and in these passages, he is played wonderfully by Sunny Pawar. The second half of the film – more than, if we wish to count minutes – is the adult Saroo’s search for his family, when he is portrayed by Patel. But make no mistake: This is Patel’s film, and he carries it magnificently.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is sometimes baffling to me the way these things go down. Patel faced the same scenario in 2008, when he was campaigned in Supporting Actor for&nbsp;<i>Slumdog Millionaire </i>despite being the demonstrable lead of the film. The difference is he was not nominated then, and he is now. However, he was deserving then, and he is deserving now. To focus too much on these awards distinctions, as I have done, perhaps distracts from Patel’s powerful work in&nbsp;<i>Lion</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He must embody both sorrow and rage, grief for the family he lost and anger at the world that would allow this to happen. He is by turns the well-adjusted adopted son of Australian parents and the mournful, emotionally guarded orphan torn from his family. Patel is remarkable in all facets of this character, and were it not for the fact American films rarely cast actors of Indian heritage in leading roles, he would be a much bigger star even than he is. Let us hope such casting prejudices change and Patel soon takes his rightful place among the acting elite.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iwvkcTYKFlk/WKHiVZW_xbI/AAAAAAAACGA/0FGh0PvuRKEvl8ThI75zSne7spEKxPppgCLcB/s1600/SuppActor-Jeff%2BBridges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iwvkcTYKFlk/WKHiVZW_xbI/AAAAAAAACGA/0FGh0PvuRKEvl8ThI75zSne7spEKxPppgCLcB/s320/SuppActor-Jeff%2BBridges.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Jeff Bridges for&nbsp;<i>Hell or High Water</i></b>&nbsp;– An interesting bit of Academy Awards trivia: Katherine Hepburn holds the record for the longest span between an actor’s first and last nomination – 48 years from&nbsp;<i>Morning Glory</i>&nbsp;in 1933 to&nbsp;<i>On Golden Pond</i>&nbsp;in 1981. Bridges, now on his seventh nomination, earned his first in 1972 for&nbsp;<i>The Last Picture Show</i>, 45 years ago. If things keep going the way they have been, this will not be his last nomination, and we will not see that last nomination hopefully for a long, long time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In the current decade, Bridges has settled into a comfortable groove, playing tough, grizzled men who cannot afford to show weakness but whose world weariness has taken a toll. He won his first, and to date only, Oscar for just such a role in&nbsp;<i>Crazy Heart</i>&nbsp;and was most recently nominated for perhaps the most grizzled hero of all, Rooster Cogburn in&nbsp;<i>True Grit</i>. In&nbsp;<i>Hell or High Water</i>, he offers a new take on this archetype as a southern lawman whose only purpose is justice in a world that no longer seems to know what that word means.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Oa_S64trww/WKHiYkbOhOI/AAAAAAAACGE/xHXpwdBLL0g4bzFdZriZ3hS6BnVSMzF_gCLcB/s1600/SuppActor-LucasHedges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Oa_S64trww/WKHiYkbOhOI/AAAAAAAACGE/xHXpwdBLL0g4bzFdZriZ3hS6BnVSMzF_gCLcB/s320/SuppActor-LucasHedges.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Lucas Hedges for&nbsp;<i>Manchester by the Sea</i></b>&nbsp;– Bridges had already secured three nominations by the time fellow nominee Hedges was born in 1997. It calls to mind, for me at least, the time in 1999 when Michael Caine, during his acceptance speech for <i>The Cider House Rules</i>, shouted out his co-nominees, including an 11-year-old Haley Joel Osment, there for <i>The Sixth Sense</i>. It is one of the things that makes the Oscars ceremony so beautiful, the different generations of artists all coming together to celebrate each other’s work.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hedges is wonderful in <i>Manchester by the Sea</i> as Patrick, a teenager whose father dies unexpectedly and is left in the care of his uncle (Casey Affleck). Hedges brings to the part the right mixture of general teenage angst and self-centeredness and more specific, restrained grief over the loss of his father. His breakdown scene while putting meat in the freezer – reminding him of his father’s body being kept on ice until the ground thaws enough to bury him – is one of the great moments in cinema this year. Though his feature credits to this point represent a limited list, including small parts in Wes Anderson’s two most recent films, Hedges’ future seems limitless. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-amGWbv7NZ9Y/WKHids1V3zI/AAAAAAAACGI/_ANpcrczJyIeMZdTIY2bYy_IGSiPtbdCACLcB/s1600/SuppActor-Michael%2BShannon%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-amGWbv7NZ9Y/WKHids1V3zI/AAAAAAAACGI/_ANpcrczJyIeMZdTIY2bYy_IGSiPtbdCACLcB/s320/SuppActor-Michael%2BShannon%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Michael Shannon for&nbsp;<i>Nocturnal Animals</i></b>&nbsp;– I have spent a fair amount of space on this site over the years talking about the greatness of Michael Shannon. He is among my favorite performers working today, and he will win an Oscar sooner or later. He should have been nominated last year for <i>99 Homes</i>, and it is hard not to think this nomination, though deserving in its own right, is a make-good for his just missing the nod last time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">No matter. Make-good or not, Shannon commands the screen with his intimidating frame and overwhelming presence, taking over as the skewed moral center of <i>Nocturnal Animals</i>. He plays Bobby, a lawman helping Jake Gyllenhaal’s character seek revenge against the men who wronged him. In an otherwise uneven film, all of the performances are great, but Shannon stands tall above them all. Audiences are instinctively drawn to this mysterious live wire of a character, and Shannon masterfully pulls us deeper into his web like one of Bobby’s ill-fated criminal targets.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This category presents an interesting conundrum this year. The signs point to Ali. He was the critics’ favorite choice for supporting actor, and he won the Screen Actors Guild award. On top of that, <i>Moonlight</i> is a clearly beloved film, and the character of Juan and Ali’s performance in the film’s early passages are unforgettable. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">However, apart from the Screen Actors Guild, the two biggest Academy Award precursors are the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. Ali was beaten to the Golden Globe by <i>Nocturnal Animals</i>star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is not nominated here, and to the BAFTA at yesterday’s ceremony by Patel. Now, Patel is British, and it is possible the British Academy was looking to reward one of its own, but it certainly gives us pause in predicting this category. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Perhaps the BAFTAs are an indication Patel has the momentum and the inside track to the Oscar, though he has picked up almost no other awards this season. Perhaps the frayed nature of the precursors with three different actors winning at the three different shows suggests anything can happen, such as a Shannon or Bridges win. But maybe – and I think this is most likely – the winds really are blowing the direction they are pointing, and these other victories are simply misdirection on the road to Ali’s well-deserved coronation.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b>&nbsp;Mahershala Ali for&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>&nbsp;Mahershala Ali for&nbsp;<i>Moonlight</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:&nbsp;</b>Ben Foster for&nbsp;<i>Hell or High Water</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Supporting Actress</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-3904330389004330622017-02-12T08:20:00.001-08:002017-02-12T08:20:34.326-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Id_4PDSPsU/WKAj9o6QMMI/AAAAAAAACFI/U-P7Tq9jwa4usNlOlADkuCXzy29DgE-MACLcB/s1600/AdScr-Hidden%2BFigures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Id_4PDSPsU/WKAj9o6QMMI/AAAAAAAACFI/U-P7Tq9jwa4usNlOlADkuCXzy29DgE-MACLcB/s640/AdScr-Hidden%2BFigures.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson, and Octavia Spencer in <i>Hidden Figures</i>, nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.</td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /></i><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Adapted Screenplay</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Arrival</i>, written by Eric Heisserer<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Fences</i>, written by August Wilson<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Hidden Figures</i>, written by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Lion</i>, written by Luke Davies<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Moonlight</i>, written by Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There is an elephant in the room this year that cannot be ignored when it comes to Best Adapted Screenplay. It is an occurrence so unique as to be without precedent in the history of the Academy. Perhaps the greatest thing ever written in the English language is William Shakespeare’s <i>Hamlet</i>. It has been adapted into countless films, including Sir Laurence Olivier’s Best Picture-winning production in 1948. Even that, though, was not nominated for Screenplay.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In fact, the only direct adaptation of a Shakespeare play ever nominated in this category was Kenneth Branagh’s stately 1996 mounting of <i>Hamlet</i>, which lost the award to Billy Bob Thornton and <i>Sling Blade</i>. This is ludicrous if you give it any thought. As fine as Thornton’s <i>Sling Blade</i> script is – and it is a fine film – its competition was one of the greatest pieces of literary art ever gifted to this world. I mention all of this because the scenario likely to play out at this year’s Academy Awards is strikingly similar with one huge difference. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ONBh7MzTNqU/WKAkLVE3_zI/AAAAAAAACFM/X4TSFnv7CkQarJkVBmRas9QPZ2z38EkrgCLcB/s1600/AdScr-Fences.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ONBh7MzTNqU/WKAkLVE3_zI/AAAAAAAACFM/X4TSFnv7CkQarJkVBmRas9QPZ2z38EkrgCLcB/s320/AdScr-Fences.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Fences</i></b> – The difference is Wilson, the closest the world will ever get to an American Shakespeare. While Denzel Washington may have taken on directing duties, this is Wilson’s adaptation of his own Pulitzer Prize-winning play, completed before his death in 2005. Imagine if the Bard himself had given instructions how to film <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, and you have some idea of the magnitude of this work.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Wilson’s Century Cycle, chronicling the black experience in America through each decade of the 20th century, is as important to the English literary canon as the First Folio. I was fortunate enough to see <i>Jitney</i> recently in its first Broadway run, despite being completed first of the cycle and premiering in Pittsburgh in 1982. Coincidentally, the production co-stars André Holland, who also stars in <i>Moonlight</i>. Wilson’s words, as ever, flow forth like a river, caressing every bend and charging forward relentlessly but majestically.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But <i>Fences</i> – glorious, wondrous, magical <i>Fences</i> – is Wilson’s crowning achievement, perhaps the crowning achievement in American literature, give or take a Mark Twain, an Ernest Hemingway or Wilson contemporary Toni Morrison. The story of Troy Maxson (Washington) and his family is the story of black Americans’ past, present, and future in this country, which is to say it is the story of the past, present, and future of this country. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Wilson is never afraid to tackle big ideas or grand themes head on, attacking prejudice, racial injustice in all its forms, and economic inequality with all the righteous indignity and furious anger such topics deserve. He gives his audiences – black, white, whatever – credit for being smart and demands that we keep up, insists that we follow wherever he leads, and never once disappoints us at the destination. In a just world, there would be no competition in this category as there is <i>Fences</i> and everything else, but as Wilson’s characters can tell you, we sure don’t live in that world.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9-jZ-aaA2aI/WKAkOjegkyI/AAAAAAAACFQ/_gogqYvn0nEhEz_Sna3FPj-tLfM2GK2YwCLcB/s1600/AdScr-Moonlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9-jZ-aaA2aI/WKAkOjegkyI/AAAAAAAACFQ/_gogqYvn0nEhEz_Sna3FPj-tLfM2GK2YwCLcB/s320/AdScr-Moonlight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Moonlight</i></b> – I have been effusive in my praise of Wilson and <i>Fences</i> because the work warrants it, but that should not diminish the accomplishments of the other nominees, particularly Jenkins’ and McCraney’s alternately devastating and inspiring portrait of youth and young manhood. Based in part on McCraney’s play <i>In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue</i>, Jenkin’s adds his own riff on the material with an entirely original third act that rounds out the story and brings its protagonist full circle to face the man he is and wants to be.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is courageous storytelling by Jenkins and McCraney on every level – structurally daring, narratively fearless, and socially audacious. Bravo to both of these men for telling the story of a young, gay, black boy with compassion, honesty, and fearlessness. These are the kinds of stories the world needs more of and which deserve to be seen far and wide by anyone and everyone. It is no secret I will be pulling for Wilson’s <i>Fences</i> to win this category, but <i>Moonlight</i> is a film with the power to change lives. A win for it here or anywhere else has the power to change even more, and who could begrudge a film that?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--bUgZM3i6eI/WKAkSNIkQaI/AAAAAAAACFU/-IoyfHY2ibUnpay_VsuecS2h1hp8M6ECACLcB/s1600/AdScr-Hidden%2BFigures%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--bUgZM3i6eI/WKAkSNIkQaI/AAAAAAAACFU/-IoyfHY2ibUnpay_VsuecS2h1hp8M6ECACLcB/s320/AdScr-Hidden%2BFigures%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Hidden Figures</i></b> – The feel-good hit of the winter, <i>Hidden Figures</i> is a box-office smash that tells the story of three unheralded women and gives them their rightful place in American history. It is smart, funny, and touching work in the classic big-Hollywood vein, reminiscent of something like <i>Apollo 13</i> or <i>The Right Stuff</i>. It prizes and celebrates intelligence, which is something far too rare in cinema these days, and it hopefully will inspire a generation of young girls, particularly young black girls, to pursue an interest in math and science.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Given all of that, I still cannot help but feel Melfi’s and Schroeder’s script is a bit too by-the-numbers. <i>Hidden Figures</i> hits all the expected beats of a biopic, particularly one about the Civil Rights era, and while I have no doubts about the veracity of the stories it tells, I wish the writers had found a more interesting way to tell them. To be sure, the film is effective, it works on every level, but as breezy and fun as it is, it is hard not to see the gears grinding along. <i>Hidden Figures</i> is wonderful, but a story this unique deserves a unique telling.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-adZ-ny9Y59o/WKAkVKPLwHI/AAAAAAAACFY/zixiXT_akwY2LRpQvdo_S4qiqVg2_9-KACLcB/s1600/AdScr-Lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-adZ-ny9Y59o/WKAkVKPLwHI/AAAAAAAACFY/zixiXT_akwY2LRpQvdo_S4qiqVg2_9-KACLcB/s320/AdScr-Lion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Lion</i></b> – Adapted from Saroo Brierly’s best-selling memoir “A Long Way Home,” Davies’ script was faced with the challenge of turning an inherently uncinematic story into a narratively propulsive film. Played in the movie by Sunny Pawar when a child and Oscar nominee Dev Patel when an adult, Brierly is a man who attempts to find his birth mother through Google Earth searches, sketchy mathematics, maps of train routes, and the power of 20-year-old memories. Not one of those things, let alone all in congress, should work on screen, but Davies, aided by the spirited and inventive direction of Garth Davis, finds the film in Brierly’s words.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film’s first act is an incredible leap of faith on Davies’ part, telling the story of how Saroo ends up so far away from home in a nearly wordless montage of events and images. Davies rightly does not clutter the narrative with contrived dialogue or over-simplified exposition; rather, he allows the audience to become a part of Saroo’s world, to see through his eyes the experience of being lost and alone, a stranger in a strange land. By the time we get to the search later in Saroo’s life, we are so heavily invested in the character we would watch him do anything to achieve his goal. That ultimately is the trick of Davies script – though gifted a compelling story that peaks curiosity, the film’s character-first approach ensures empathy.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Cw_zm3Pfog/WKAkdHndUFI/AAAAAAAACFg/K3pAT700lPIohCW_9ZYHunG_rqBZAucdQCLcB/s1600/AdScr-Arrival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Cw_zm3Pfog/WKAkdHndUFI/AAAAAAAACFg/K3pAT700lPIohCW_9ZYHunG_rqBZAucdQCLcB/s320/AdScr-Arrival.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Arrival</i></b> – I have not read Ted Chiang’s short story “Story of Your Life,” on which this film is based, but word has it that it is unfilmable. Well, Heisserer and director Denis Villeneuve put lie to that assertion definitively. We have talked a lot about the looping narrative structure of <i>Arrival</i> and how its various nominated crafts contribute to its success. Of course, that narrative structure begins with the script, which operates throughout on two levels – as a straight science-fiction thriller and as an impressionistic mystery, which does not reveal its secrets until the denouement.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Arrival</i> certainly stands out on Heisserer’s résumé, which is mostly horror, including the <i>Nightmare on Elm Street</i>reboot and <i>The Thing</i>remake/reboot/prequel. Heisserer also wrote and directed <i>Hours</i>, one of Paul Walker’s final films, which I have not seen. Without meaning this as a knock, nothing in Heisserer’s limited oeuvre suggests the levels of sophistication, subtly, and compassion on display in <i>Arrival</i>, and one hopes he has further opportunities to show off his skills on material worthy of them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It has been 18 years since a film not nominated for Best Picture won this category, and that streak continues this year with every nominee cited for both this and the top award. This is just the third time since the expansion of the Best Picture category all five Adapted Screenplay nominees are recognized in both places, and the feat was even rarer before the rules change. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Best Picture heat obviously helps in this category, and with <i>Moonlight</i> sitting in the catbird seat to play spoiler, it is the prohibitive favorite to win here. Most likely right on its heels is <i>Hidden Figures</i>, which will appeal most broadly to the Academy as a whole and is the kind of witty, inspirational script for which members like to vote. <i>Fences</i> is probably running third, and Wilson is unlikely to pick up a posthumous Oscar, though his legacy hardly needs the additional honor. In point of fact, a Wilson win would do more for the Academy than any other group or person, proof the members are hip enough and smart enough to award a once-in-an-empire talent.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Moonlight<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Fences<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> Love &amp; Friendship<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Supporting Actor</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-10001726885681186652017-02-11T08:49:00.000-08:002017-02-11T08:49:00.195-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Original Screenplay<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--T0Y343VlCU/WJ9AF9oDDFI/AAAAAAAACE4/_UsQqN72C2glpS1OI-W0qnORw5uKtbqDgCLcB/s1600/OrScr-Hell%2Bor%2BHigh%2BWater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--T0Y343VlCU/WJ9AF9oDDFI/AAAAAAAACE4/_UsQqN72C2glpS1OI-W0qnORw5uKtbqDgCLcB/s640/OrScr-Hell%2Bor%2BHigh%2BWater.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Jeff Bridges (left) and Gil Birmingham in <i>Hell or High Water</i>, nominated for Best Original Screenplay</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Original Screenplay</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>20th Century Women</i>, written by Mike Mills<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Hell or High Water</i>, written by Taylor Sheridan<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>La La Land</i>, written by Damien Chazelle<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>The Lobster</i>, written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Manchester by the Sea</i>, written by Kenneth Lonergan<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Each of the films nominated here is defined by its singularity of vision. They could only have come from the minds of their respective writers because they present ways of looking at the world that are wholly unique. Four of these films were also directed by their writer or co-writer, which is for the best because in most cases it would be folly to hand over one’s point of view to an outside perspective. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Every one of these films is a fully realized universe unto itself, whether a Santa Barbara boarding house in the 1970s, the desolate South amid a recession, a dreamer’s fantasy of Hollywood, a singles retreat in a dystopia, or a small fishing community in New England. All of these writers, through their words and stories and characters, have taken us somewhere new, somewhere unexpected, and showed us lives we never thought we would see and of which we never knew we needed to be a part.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>The Lobster</i></b> – Dystopias have been all the rage for a while now. It perhaps has something to do with the success of <i>The Walking Dead</i> on TV or perhaps all those young-adult adaptations like <i>The Hunger Games</i>. Whatever the case, everyone seems to be piling on, and it seems every week we get a new version of our post-apocalyptic future. Each new creative team wants to go bigger, darker, and scarier than the last, trying to top whatever the newest invented threat is. Truthfully, and some of you must agree, it is exhausting.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I say all of this by way of introduction to the world of <i>The Lobster</i>, a dystopia in which co-writers Lanthimos, who also directed, and Filippou argue the tools of our oppression are already at hand and they are as mundane as a dinner party at a stuffy hotel. The writers do not need to invent a new threat for their world. What greater threat could there be to our humanity than bureaucracy, which by its very nature is inhumane?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Beyond this of course, <i>The Lobster</i> is set in a world in which humans must pair off or face being transformed into an animal of their choosing. The premise alone, executed as well as it is here, would be enough to earn a nomination, but Lanthimos and Filippou are not satisfied with just their intriguing and admittedly oddball scenario. Their script is a scathing satire of the ways in which we live today, a dark warning not of where we are headed but of where we already are.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>La La Land</i></b> – Now, if I may flip 180 degrees in the other direction, Chazelle’s bright, poppy fantasia is the world as we wish it would be. Set in a Hollywood where dreamers and their dreams matter, <i>La La Land</i> is the story of what it is to struggle and chase and search, of getting knocked down and wondering if you have the strength to get back up again. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Chazelle rightly does not pretend achieving one’s goals comes without sacrifice or does not require hard work and dedication, and as we all know, even those qualities sometimes are not enough. The fantasy of <i>La La Land</i> is not success without struggle but that our struggles ultimately will prove worth it, that we are not simply spitting into the wind.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The coup de grace of course is to make all of this a musical in the grand tradition. In a culture in which cynicism is cool and winking at the audience is expected, Chazelle plays it straight with sincerity and earnestness. You want to doubt him and scoff at his creation, but from its opening song-and-dance number, you are too busy being enthralled and delighted to remember you came to laugh at the movie, not with it. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Manchester by the Sea</i></b> – What springs immediately to mind with this film is grief. Oh, there are a few other words, to be sure, but grief is what stands out. The beauty of Lonergan’s script is that it is not about Hollywood grief, the kind of all-consuming sadness and recovery we have seen in countless films before. You know the movies. They would be called weepies in another time. Characters experience loss and tragedy and are devastated, but through some force of will or outside strength, they move on happily. <i>Manchester by the Sea</i> is not that kind of film.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lonergan instead examines the true nature of grief in all its messy, painful, frightening, and sometimes humorous ways. His characters experience a tragedy and loss with which we are all familiar, and they react in ways that feel real and human, which in itself is shocking enough to see in a film. Lonergan knows there is no magical cure-all, and there are some wounds even time cannot heal. The people in <i>Manchester by the Sea</i> grasp for meaning and search for ways to make sense of it all, but unmoored by grief, they really are just looking for connection to anything or anyone.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Hell or High Water</i></b> – Sheridan is probably best known as an actor, particularly for his long-running role on the TV show <i>Sons of Anarchy</i>. Another couple scripts like his first two, though, and he will not be known primarily as an actor much longer. His first produced screenplay was for last year’s popular slow-burn thriller <i>Sicario</i>, which creates tension and intrigue mostly through silence. This is what makes his script for <i>Hell or High Water</i> such a surprise and delight. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">While ringing all the tension and thrills it can out of a story of Texas outlaws, Sheridan’s screenplay is also highly literate, gifting its characters with the kind of sinewy monologues and smart, rapid-fire dialogue actors just devour. And the audience eats it up as well. There is, however, a third level to Sheridan’s brilliant script beyond its sturdy premise and whip-cracking dialogue. Underneath it all, it tells a tale of an area of this country left decimated by the recession and still struggling to survive. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bank robbers have long been portrayed in movies as heroes, but here, that classic trope takes on an even deeper meaning. The banks represent the institutions that have destroyed these towns and these people, and these men’s crimes, as the community sees it, are extracting payment for the debts these banks owe us all. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>20th Century Women</i></b> – Writer-director Mills has made just three features, with five years passing between the first two and six years between the second and this one. One imagines the problem is more of financing than will or desire to work. If that is the case, let us hope some brave studio steps up and gets Mills working again because I cannot not imagine waiting another five or six years for the next Mills gem.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Like his wonderful previous feature, <i>Beginners</i>, Mills sketches the lives of his characters in a gorgeous array of images and impressions, offering up a kaleidoscopic view of the whole. <i>20th Century Women</i> is the story of five very different people and how they are defined both by their actions and their reactions to the rapidly evolving world around them. Mills takes the kind of characters we think we know – the arty punk girl, the quiet shy boy, the down-to-earth bohemian, etc. – and explores the choices and contradictions that make them who they are, not simply who we think they are.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This award has gone to the Best Picture winner the previous two years and a Best Picture nominee each of the past 11. So, while <i>The Lobster</i> and <i>20th Century Women</i> would both be deserving winners, they are probably out of the running, their profiles not high enough to compete in this group. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There was a time early in this Oscar season when it looked like <i>Manchester by the Sea</i> might be a serious Best Picture force and like Lonergan would be a shoe-in for this award. The film, after all, rests almost entirely on his shoulders, and his script carries most of the burden. However, that time seems to have passed, and even the award <i>Manchester by the Sea</i>looked assured of (Casey Affleck for Best Actor) is in doubt.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">That leaves Sheridan and Chazelle, <i>Hell or High Water</i> and <i>La La Land</i>. The smart money of course is on the big, bold Best Picture frontrunner. Only once since 2001 has the Best Picture winner been nominated in this category and not gone home with the prize – in 2011, when Woody Allen won for <i>Midnight in Paris</i> over <i>The Artist</i>, the script for which was most likely undervalued for being for a silent film; also, the Academy just really loves Allen’s writing. The point is if <i>La La Land</i> really is going to sweep its way to Best Picture, it better win here. But the Academy is not above throwing a curveball just to keep us all honest, and <i>Hell or High Water</i>is the exact kind of dialogue-heavy, intricately plotted script they have loved in the past and will love again, sooner or later.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> The Lobster<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> Jackie<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Adapted Screenplay</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-18076357212383174352017-02-10T10:01:00.000-08:002017-02-10T10:01:55.651-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Original Song<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--bcbirCytb0/WJ39NYjwyjI/AAAAAAAACEo/SlmCJZRvsPwuHETk_v4ke0yAnCWJiq7yQCLcB/s1600/Song-Moana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--bcbirCytb0/WJ39NYjwyjI/AAAAAAAACEo/SlmCJZRvsPwuHETk_v4ke0yAnCWJiq7yQCLcB/s640/Song-Moana.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><i>Moana</i>, which is nominated in the Best Original Song category</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Original Song</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“The Empty Chair” from <i>Jim: The James Foley Story</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Audition (Fools Who Dream)” from <i>La La Land</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">“City of Stars” from <i>La La Land</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">“How Far I’ll Go” from <i>Moana</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Can’t Stop the Feeling” from <i>Trolls</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After a dire year last time around in this category, the music branch rights the ship with four excellent, deserving nominees and one that should be nowhere near a nomination but is at least a passably enjoyable song. So much goes wrong with the music categories each year – and I complain about it every time – it is genuinely surprising when the branch gets it right, or as close to right as they are likely to get.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Of course, these films made it easier than most. In the first place, you have a wildly popular, incredibly successful musical filled to the brim with original songs and dominating the awards race. It received two nominations, the maximum allowable under the rules. To fill out the category, try to grab the biggest stars you can because if nothing else, it will make for an entertaining performance at the ceremony, and boy, did they ever grab the biggest stars around. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My wish every year for this category is that the nominees reflect their importance to the films in which they appear, whether they are integral to the plot or simply evocative of the emotions at play. With one exception, once again, these songs pass that test with flying colors, and I am left with only praise for a branch I often find laughably out of touch and whose nominations are often downright preposterous. Okay, I suppose I had to get my shots in still, but this remains an excellent selection of nominees.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>“Audition (Fools Who Dream)” from <i>La La Land</i></b> – This is going to sound hypocritical from someone who just called another group of people out of touch, but I don’t listen to the radio or even go to stores that often, so I have no idea what people are listening to when it comes to new music. However, I know <i>La La Land</i> is a popular film, and within that popular film, this is the most popular song. It also happens to be the song most integral to the film’s plot. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is the turning point at the end of the film’s second act when the characters make decisions that will set them on the path to the film’s climax. In addition to being a catchy, important song within the context of the musical, the lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul perfectly capture the essence and themes of the film. Composer Justin Hurwitz builds the musical accompaniment to a glorious climax, and it becomes one of those “stand up in the theater and cheer” moments that are all too rare.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SXsqYs1l_IY" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>“City of Stars” from <i>La La Land</i></b> – All due respect to stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, whose performances are wonderful, but their voices do not hold up to the rigors of a musical. Stone performs admirably on “Audition,” but the deficiency is highlighted in the film’s ensemble numbers like “Another Day of Sun” and “Someone in the Crowd,” which are led by experienced musical performers. Ultimately, this does not affect the enjoyment of the film, but “City of Stars,” a duet between Gosling and Stone, loses some of its luster due to the only-passable voices of its singers.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In addition, while Hurwitz’s composition is used throughout as a key piece of underscoring, becoming a leitmotif for the film’s central couple, the song as a whole and its use in the film does not exactly cry out for recognition. Its most prominent placement is under a montage, and while it is effective, it is less effective than the film perhaps wants or even needs it to be. <o:p></o:p><br /><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QZLT9LmbhPQ" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>“How Far I’ll Go” from <i>Moana</i></b> – I have written about this song before in some depth <a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2017/01/year-in-review-top-10-quotes-of-2016.html">here</a>, but it bears repeating just how revolutionary Lin-Manuel Miranda’s composition is in terms of Disney movies. For nearly 80 years, Disney movies have sold a certain version of young girls, and they have sold it successfully. Even those who break out of their shells tend to discover what they needed was “right here all along.” They often limit in the same breath as they empower. Not so with Miranda’s powerful ode to exploration and self-discovery.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) is a soul on a mission, and what she needs is not on her island but beyond the reef that surrounds it. It is somewhere out there, beyond anything she has ever known, and the beauty of the song is that it expresses the inner call she feels to discover whatever is waiting for her. She is conflicted, of course, caught between obligation and desire, but for once, the film does not argue for her duties and obligations but for her need to break free. Even “Let It Go,” from <i>Frozen</i>, the most popular Disney song in years, rings hollow in the context of the whole film. But, “How Far I’ll Go” is a mission statement and a blueprint for a heroine the likes of which we have rarely seen. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cPAbx5kgCJo" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>“Can’t Stop the Feeling” from <i>Trolls</i></b> – Remember when I admitted above I do not listen to the radio? I don’t, but as soon as I heard this song, I felt I had heard it before. It has a classic, timeless pop feel to it, which makes sense, coming as it does from one of our foremost popular music artists, Justin Timberlake. Co-written with Max Martin and Shellback, two of the most successful songwriters and producers of the current century, “Can’t Stop the Feeling” is disposable, bubble-gum pop at its finest.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">How perfect it is then for this disposable, bubble-gum movie. <i>Trolls</i> is a mildly enjoyable children’s entertainment, but this song easily will be its longest-lasting cultural legacy. About a group of trolls who live by the credo “Hug, Dance, Sing” and teach a species of monsters how to find happiness through love – and music – “Can’t Stop the Feeling” is the film’s climax. Its entire payoff is predicated on the success of this song, and what do you know? It works. If the song does not quite reach the heights it purports to – teaching the power of love – it at least gets toes tapping and hips moving.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oWgTqLCLE8k" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>“The Empty Chair” from <i>Jim: The James Foley Story</i></b> – The outlier here, the cynic in me wants to say this nomination only exists because the name Sting is attached to the credit, although co-songwriter J. Ralph is a three-time nominee himself. This is Sting’s fourth nomination but his first for a documentary, while J. Ralph has carved something of a niche composing songs for socially conscious documentaries (<i>Racing Extinction</i> and <i>Chasing Ice</i> before this).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Jim: The James Foley Story</i> is an intimate, unflinching look at the life and death of conflict journalist James Foley, who was beheaded by members of ISIS in a now-infamous video. It is a worthwhile project, though the film does not perhaps tease out all the ideas it could from its subject matter given its narrow focus. Hopefully this nomination draws attention to the film and the issues it raises, but as a song that plays over the closing credits and accomplishes nothing the score could not, I cannot say I fully support its inclusion here. Plus, the song is just okay.<o:p></o:p><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zAsiKC5krz4" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The only award <i>La La Land</i> is 100 percent certain to lose, that is only because both of its nominated songs cannot win – unless there is a tie, in which case we really would be in for an historic sweep. This probably does come down to “City of Stars” against “Audition,” and the latter simply has greater emotional impact within the film and is the more memorable composition.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b>“Audition (Fools Who Dream)” from <i>La La Land</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> “How Far I’ll Go” from <i>Moana</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> “Drive It Like You Stole It” from <i>Sing Street</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Because it is a great song from a great movie and one of my favorites of last year, here is “Drive It Like You Stole It” from writer-director John Carney’s <i>Sing Street</i>:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fuWTcmjnEGY" width="560"></iframe> <div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Original Screenplay</i><o:p></o:p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-13341227757409392952017-02-09T07:08:00.002-08:002017-02-09T07:08:59.154-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Original Score<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G6CMYXJnLJE/WJyA-H4AbeI/AAAAAAAACEY/0yQZf77Vx2kEQ7Joh21LuekmUvUdDGJEQCLcB/s1600/Score-Lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G6CMYXJnLJE/WJyA-H4AbeI/AAAAAAAACEY/0yQZf77Vx2kEQ7Joh21LuekmUvUdDGJEQCLcB/s640/Score-Lion.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Dev Patel in <i>Lion</i>, which is nominated for Best Original Score.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Original Score</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jackie<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lion<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Moonlight<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Passengers<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For the previous two years, the music categories have been an airing of grievances of a sort for me, particularly Best Original Song, but this category has drawn my ire nearly as often. Outdated rules and a branch seemingly content in its insular, stodgy tastes contribute to the problem. Once again, wonderful scores were left out in the cold after they were deemed ineligible for one reason or another, including two-time nominee Jóhann Jóhannsson’s work on <i>Arrival</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">However, to the charge of insularity, the Academy’s music branch, for once, can plead innocent. Apart from a well-deserved nomination for one of the Academy’s favorite sons, these composers are all first-time nominees, making for an exciting and eclectic list. By nominating so many first-timers, many of whom are quite young, relative to the average age in the music branch, the Academy is signaling a way forward and offering a glimpse of its own future. Based on these nominees, that future looks bright, indeed.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Jackie</i></b> – The Oscars often, sadly, are a boys’ club. One need only know no woman ever has been nominated for Best Cinematography to see that fact. The Academy has taken steps to address its racial diversity problem, which is admirable, but the lack of representation for women is equally pressing, particularly in the crafts branches, where the disparities are greatest. Mica Levi is the first woman nominated for Original Score since Rachel Portman in 2000. That’s 16 years since the last nomination for a woman here. I promise you the problem is not with the women and their work.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Levi’s work here, for instance, is the best of this group, the best of the year in fact. Hers is no token nomination – and the Academy doesn’t seem sufficiently concerned about representation in its craft categories to bestow a token nomination anyway. On just her second feature film score, Levi matches the intensity and ominous portent of director Pablo Larraín’s film with a strange, unsettling series of compositions that have no equal this year.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Jackie</i> is a film about loss, grief, pain, and the discomfort of feeling all of those emotions in the public eye. Levi’s magnificent and magnificently weird string arrangements tell us all we need to know about Jacqueline Kennedy’s (Natalie Portman) headspace. She is adrift, caught at all times among competing emotions that twist and turn not in smooth curves but at right angles. Levi’s score is willing to go dark places and is not afraid to make the audience uncomfortable, and that is its greatest strength.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PjS5h1iRruQ?list=PLntx7e5yAsOa9RSOxlg1YnUDdjh9wEHkE" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><b><i>La La Land</i></b> – Justin Hurwitz holds the distinction of being this year’s only triple nominee with his nomination here and a double nomination in the Best Original Song category. It is not unheard for someone to score three nominations in a single year from the music branch, but it does not happen every year, and it stands as a remarkable achievement.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Like Levi, Hurwitz is relatively new to the film scoring game with just three features to his credit, all for his former Harvard roommate and buddy writer-director Damien Chazelle. Their collaborations, which all revolve in one way or another around jazz and jazz musicians, have been incredibly fruitful, and their shared ride to Hollywood prominence truly is a feel-good story.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It almost is not fair to ask other films to compete in the same category as <i>La La Land</i>, which is wall-to-wall music. The instrumentations are straight from the jazz playbook, and similar to <i>The Umbrellas of Cherbourg</i>, the movie has a poppy, rhythmic feel throughout thanks to its pulsing, endlessly listenable score. Even the smallest cues are given pep and verve by Hurwitz’s insistent, playful choices, all of which feel of a piece with the film’s jaunty, spritely tone. Hurwitz won a pair of Golden globes this year for song and score, and he should clear some space for the extra hardware he will pick up here.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gk8C7ZxsJCU?list=PLkrzhIRcyCENOI9voqWnficBueMu4oLP3" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><b><i>Lion</i></b> – It’s like a riddle with an easy and obvious answer: What happens when a pair of piano virtuosos come together to compose the music for a dark but uplifting saga of loss and discovery? Magic. Dustin O’Halloran and Volker Bertelmann, performing under the stage name Hauschka, compose a score for <i>Lion</i> that is gorgeous and intricate but never overwhelming. <o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Director Garth Davis’ film is too delicate for the kind of overtly orchestral score it would be easy to impose on it. Instead, O’Halloran and Bertelmann find the story’s soul in the dogged commitment of its main character, Saroo (Sunny Pawar and Dev Patel). The composers’ beautiful repeating piano patterns are a tribute to and reflection of the single-mindedness possessed by the film’s hero. The push and pull between the repetitions and variations eventually become the point as the score grows and expands to encompass a world that feels larger by the minute.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Both O’Halloran and Bertelmann are first-time nominees whose primary careers exist outside the world of film, though each has numerous film scores to his credit. They are musicians and performers first and foremost, but here is to hoping they continue to explore, either together or individually, the world of cinema and its possibilities, which are limitless for composers such as these.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jlebdhv7HEs" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><b><i>Moonlight</i></b> – Here is an interesting bit of trivia that may seem a little convoluted but bear with me. Nicholas Britell was a co-producer on <i>Whiplash</i>, <i>La La Land</i> director Chazelle’s previous Oscar-winning film. Now, he is the nominated composer for a film competing for the top award against Chazelle’s follow-up film. I cannot be 100 percent certain, but I doubt if this has ever happened. Britell and Chazelle’s Harvard connection clears things up for the most part, but man, sometimes Hollywood seems so small.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Moonlight</i>, from writer-director Barry Jenkins, is an arresting film from its first frames. It grabs you and brings you into its world in a way few other films can or even attempt. For most viewers, it is a jarring experience, a direct challenge to our preconceived notions of lives we have never known. It is not, however, confrontational. Instead, it evokes curiosity and, through that curiosity, empathy. As we are drawn deeper into the minds of these characters, we become more immersed in who they are, and Britell’s music expertly guides us along this process.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Like the film itself, the score refuses to coddle the audience, never simply giving in to viewers’ ideas of what a film score should sound like. Its use of strings is haunting and deeply moving, particularly on standout composition “The Middle of the World,” which featured prominently in the film’s advertising. Each of the story’s versions of the main character – Little (Alex Hibbert), Chiron (Ashton Sanders), and Black (Trevante Rhodes) – has his own theme, helping create distinct characterizations within the narrative. However, everything feels part of a cohesive whole, and we are always aware we are watching the journey of one young man, discovering who he is and who he wants to be.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5QX-rSLkQRQ" width="560"></iframe> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><b><i>Passengers</i></b> – Thomas Newman’s dad, Alfred Newman, is the most awarded composer in Academy history with nine Oscars from 45 nominations – 43 for Original Score and two for Best Original Song. Such a legacy would cast a shadow over anyone, but I bring it up only because the younger Newman does not operate in that shadow. He is his own bright, brilliant light, and his fellow composers have recognized as such to the tune of 13 Original Score nominations. He also has a nomination for Original Song. However, he has never won, and his 13 nominations place him just one behind the late, great Alex North for most without an Oscar win.<o:p></o:p><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This will not be the year Newman finally breaks through and has his name read out. The score is typically wonderful work from Newman, but it comes in a film that was not otherwise popular, either with the Academy or the public. <i>Passengers</i> is certainly the biggest film on this list in terms of scale, but Newman does not fall into the trap of going for full bombast where something subtler will do. It takes a composer of skill and courage to rely on the slow build of tension within these compositions when the action would seem to beg for something grander. It is laudable, admirable work from one of the best film composers around, and that is something to be cherished, awards or not.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3UpbecwRH6s" width="560"></iframe> <div class="MsoNormal"><h3><br /></h3><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyone else but Hurwitz winning would be an absolute shock. It would be an early indication perhaps <i>La La Land</i> is not as strong as perceived and could be in danger in other categories as well. But that is not what is going to happen. The beautifully composed music from the wonderful and well-liked musical will take this award in a walk.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> Jackie<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> Moana<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Original Song<o:p></o:p></i></div></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-24779566709297315812017-02-08T06:46:00.002-08:002017-02-08T06:46:13.894-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Sound Mixing<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmXfqZQAhTw/WJsuaWq0gAI/AAAAAAAACDo/BIfBYhFi9UYkkxRqYixhxikKJZlF3yvAQCLcB/s1600/SndMix-Rogue%2BOne%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmXfqZQAhTw/WJsuaWq0gAI/AAAAAAAACDo/BIfBYhFi9UYkkxRqYixhxikKJZlF3yvAQCLcB/s640/SndMix-Rogue%2BOne%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><i>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</i>&nbsp;is among the five Academy Award nominees for Best Sound Mixing.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>Best Sound Mixing</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">13 Hours<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Arrival<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hacksaw Ridge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rogue One: A Star Wars Story<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday, we covered Sound Editing, and today, we move on to the other side of the coin, Sound Mixing. This award goes to the skilled craftspeople who ensure everything we hear is not just some jumbled mess. They take all the elements of a film’s sound design – the score, the effects, the music cues, the dialogue, the incidental background noise, etc. – and find how they fit together in the perfect combination to unlock a film’s sonic environment.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As opposed to Sound Editing, where <i>La La Land</i> makes history as the first musical nominee, musicals have done well in Sound Mixing over the years. You can imagine why. In the past 15 years, five musicals have won this award, including Best Picture winner <i>Chicago</i> in 2002 and writer-director Damien Chazelle’s previous effort, <i>Whiplash</i>, in 2014. So, while a win in Sound Editing would be without precedent, <i>La La Land</i> is nearly assured victory here.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S7oI4QMzrWY/WJsuqqFDdqI/AAAAAAAACDs/MmtCWVGuMl0O0--IrGsgKkDEbqJDM06iQCLcB/s1600/SndMix-La%2BLa%2BLand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S7oI4QMzrWY/WJsuqqFDdqI/AAAAAAAACDs/MmtCWVGuMl0O0--IrGsgKkDEbqJDM06iQCLcB/s320/SndMix-La%2BLa%2BLand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>La La Land</i></b> – Of course, that should not suggest the win would be without merit. In many ways, Chazelle’s film is a beautiful, escapist fantasy about a world we wish we could inhabit. Thus, enjoyment of the film is predicated upon never breaking that fantasy, and <i>La La Land</i>’s expert crafts create a protective bubble for the viewer, keeping the illusion alive, if only for a couple hours. If you cannot imagine how integral the sound mix is to that illusion, try watching any scene from a movie with the sound mix even slightly off. We intuit as viewers, whether consciously or not, how something should fit together sonically, and when it does not match, we are left frustrated and distracted.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As mentioned yesterday, re-recording mixer Ai-Ling Lee is a double nominee for <i>La La Land</i> here and in Sound Editing, joined by first-time nominee sound mixer Steven Morrow, and legend of the craft re-recording mixer Andy Nelson. Nelson has 21 nominations and was a double nominee just last year for <i>Bridge of Spies</i> and <i>Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens</i>. He has two previous wins in this category for <i>Saving Private Ryan</i> and <i>Les Mis</i><i>érables</i>and should be adding a third trophy to his shelf soon.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MDYgJjEGWkI/WJsuwapTk3I/AAAAAAAACDw/3ZaSDlyS6L8L-MKRWTWssBMuZ0p3_stJwCLcB/s1600/SndMix-Hacksaw%2BRidge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MDYgJjEGWkI/WJsuwapTk3I/AAAAAAAACDw/3ZaSDlyS6L8L-MKRWTWssBMuZ0p3_stJwCLcB/s320/SndMix-Hacksaw%2BRidge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Hacksaw Ridge</i></b> – Speaking of legends of the craft, re-recording mixer Kevin O’Connell holds the distinction of earning the most nominations without a win in Academy history. For his work on 21 different films, O’Connell has been cited, and never once has his name been called up onto that stage. Over a span of 13 ceremonies, from 1996-2008, he was nominated 13 times. This is his first nomination since 2008, and he runs into the awards buzz saw that is <i>La La Land</i>, which will likely leave him in his seat once again.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He is joined in this nomination by Academy first-timer sound recordist Peter Grace, and double nominees here and in Sound Editing re-recording mixers Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright. The team’s work on <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> is gorgeous as they craft a sonic world that is as harrowing and ominous as the events of the film. When they bravely let all the sound drop out, save for a breath or a heartbeat, it is in those moments when we feel the weight of all this violence and terror. Then, when the sound comes back in full force, it all comes crashing down on us once again.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x5BAIRl2xjI/WJsu0O4shFI/AAAAAAAACD0/h2MYGmbt3oohzUHXGJ9CKjO7OodNJhZmQCLcB/s1600/SndMix-Arrival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x5BAIRl2xjI/WJsu0O4shFI/AAAAAAAACD0/h2MYGmbt3oohzUHXGJ9CKjO7OodNJhZmQCLcB/s320/SndMix-Arrival.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Arrival</i></b> – <i>Arrival</i> is a film built on words. Yes, it features an explosion or two and some big trucks and army goings-on, and a wonderfully evocative score, but its heart is in its dialogue, in its conversations between people and between species. Nearly every year, there is at least one nominee that exemplifies the other side of this craft. Rather than going big, nominees like <i>Arrival</i>, as well as <i>Bridge of Spies</i>, <i>Birdman</i>, <i>Lincoln</i>, and <i>Moneyball</i>before it, show how much of a film exists in the places between the noise, in the small moments of connection.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sound mixer Bernard Gariépy Strobl and re-recording mixer Claude La Haye, both first-time nominees, use the quiet spaces in the film’s busy world to make magic. <i>Arrival</i>is not about its big action setpieces, of which there are refreshingly few, but about the moments when characters sit and think or sit and talk and simply exist outside the narrative. It is about dreams and memory and the way the past and future overlap on each other, and the sound mix allows the audience to feel its way through the film right along with the characters.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XnxvUpmpX7g/WJsu3doFh2I/AAAAAAAACD4/Rlu6gsarYE4oT_tTyMQ2Nyyh_mYQBCpvQCLcB/s1600/SndMix-Rogue%2BOne.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XnxvUpmpX7g/WJsu3doFh2I/AAAAAAAACD4/Rlu6gsarYE4oT_tTyMQ2Nyyh_mYQBCpvQCLcB/s320/SndMix-Rogue%2BOne.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</i></b> – With a franchise as long and varied – at least in terms of quality and reception – as the <i>Star Wars</i> series, it is informative to look at its Oscars history. Across eight films, this is the sixth nomination for the <i>Star Wars</i> franchise, which missed only with <i>Episodes II</i> and <i>III</i>. However, only the first two films, chronologically anyway, <i>Episodes IV</i>and <i>V</i>, earned the win, which means the series has not been rewarded for its sound since 1980. In fact, since none of the prequel films nor <i>Episode VII – The Force Awakens</i> won an Oscar, despite 10 nominations among them, the franchise has not taken home an Academy Award in more than 30 years. I suppose the absurd box-office success has had to serve as its reward.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Re-recording mixers David Parker and Christopher Scarabosio are both multiple nominees, while production sound mixer Stuart Wilson also has four nominations to his credit. Scarabosio and Wilson were nominated together last year for <i>The Force Awakens</i>. Parker is a two-time winner from eight nominations, taking home the award for <i>The English Patient</i> and <i>The Bourne Ultimatum</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c2gINKGeTJc/WJsu6Xv6c4I/AAAAAAAACD8/pLxSTYbZacs90eTzJwP63iJUxxJyBbgCACLcB/s1600/SndMix-13%2BHours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c2gINKGeTJc/WJsu6Xv6c4I/AAAAAAAACD8/pLxSTYbZacs90eTzJwP63iJUxxJyBbgCACLcB/s320/SndMix-13%2BHours.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>13 Hours</i></b> – If it feels like Michael Bay’s footprint is bigger than the 12 mostly execrable movies he has directed, that is because he has stomped all over the culture like one of his beloved alien robots. They are ubiquitous and inescapable, and perhaps the only justice is that this disgusting, unwatchable slog is his lowest-grossing film yet. Bay’s worst film by miles – that includes the cacophonous <i>Transformers</i>series – <i>13 Hours</i> espouses a racist, lunkheaded, offensive philosophy, and it manages to be incomprehensible at the same time. The action makes no sense. The dialogue is idiotic. The politics are indefensible. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Is the sound mixing good? Sure. Of course it is. Re-recording mixer Greg P. Russell has 17 nominations to his name without a win, second-most all time. Re-recording mixer Gary Summers has four Oscar wins from 11 nominations. Re-recording mixer Jeffrey J. Haboush has four nominations, all for work with Russell. Meanwhile, production sound mixer Mac Ruth is on his second nomination and second in a row after being cited last year for <i>The Martian</i>. Their work here is professional and unimpeachable. If only that effort had been spent on a project worthier of their talents.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As mentioned in the introduction, there is little suspense here. The Academy likes to reward musicals in this category when it can, and <i>La La Land</i> is an awards juggernaut besides and will have no trouble scooping this one up as well. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b> La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> The Witch<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Original Score</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081719877700345164.post-42940817898311747032017-02-07T08:39:00.001-08:002017-02-07T08:39:38.158-08:00Countdown to the Oscars: Best Sound Editing<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dEk5DPR0Oyg/WJn3ZL6ZWcI/AAAAAAAACDA/br_RpSt7Lj8SX1Z3cpStwD6BVO76tMuIACLcB/s1600/SndEd-Deepwater%2BHorizon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dEk5DPR0Oyg/WJn3ZL6ZWcI/AAAAAAAACDA/br_RpSt7Lj8SX1Z3cpStwD6BVO76tMuIACLcB/s640/SndEd-Deepwater%2BHorizon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><i>Deepwater Horizon</i>&nbsp;is among the five nominees for Best Sound Editing at this year's Academy Awards.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Welcome to Last Cinema Standing’s Countdown to the Oscars, our daily look at this year’s Academy Awards race. Be sure to check back every day leading up to the ceremony for analysis of each of the Academy’s 24 categories and more.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><h3>Best Sound Editing</h3><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The nominees are:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Arrival<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Deepwater Horizon<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hacksaw Ridge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">La La Land<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sully<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The two sound categories can be difficult for those unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of filmmaking. I have covered the differences between sound editing and sound mixing in depth before. For that explanation, click <a href="http://lastcinemastanding.blogspot.com/2015/02/countdown-to-oscars-best-sound-mixing.html">here</a>. Today, we are discussing Sound Editing, so briefly, when you here “sound editing,” think “sound effects.” This is the gunshots, the explosions, the footsteps, and the heartbeats. If you hear a noise other than an actor speaking dialogue, there is a good chance someone on the sound editing team was involved.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Since the category expanded to five nominees 10 years ago, there have been 11 winners, including a tie in 2012, and only one of those films could be classified as anything other than an action movie. On top of that, four of the winners have been war films. The Academy likes its sound effects big and booming, the more, the better. The last seven years, the award has gone to a Best Picture nominee, although in 2012, Best Picture-nominated <i>Zero Dark Thirty</i> tied with <i>Skyfall</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So, this is easy then, right? We are looking for a critically acclaimed, Best Picture-nominated action-war film, and wouldn’t you know it, <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> fits those criteria to a T. But wait, there is a monkey wrench in the works this year. We have discussed at length the overall popularity of <i>La La Land</i> within the Academy, but try this on for size: Before <i>La La Land</i>, no musical had ever been nominated – nominated! – in the Sound Editing category. This new wrinkle could create some suspense in a category that rarely features any.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AAsTf3e3QsM/WJn3nDV-EPI/AAAAAAAACDE/gT0hgN57x3g4zwQOA_f2F70PnQ7c8J5fwCLcB/s1600/SndEd-Hacksaw%2BRidge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AAsTf3e3QsM/WJn3nDV-EPI/AAAAAAAACDE/gT0hgN57x3g4zwQOA_f2F70PnQ7c8J5fwCLcB/s320/SndEd-Hacksaw%2BRidge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Hacksaw Ridge</i></b> – All those things mentioned above that make war films so attractive to the Academy in this category are true of director Mel Gibson’s bloody, brutal anti-war epic. But it is not just the gunfire and explosions, of which this film features many. It is the subtle change in the way the battlefield sounds underfoot before and after the bloodshed. It is odd to be too enthused about the reproduction of carnage, but the blood spatter and bullet wounds come alive through the sound process, which in turn makes Gibson’s anti-war message all the clearer.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright pulled double duty on this film as supervising sound editors and re-recording mixers, and both are nominated in both sound categories this year. It is an uncommon feat but not unheard of, and the double nominations represent both men’s first recognition by the Academy. Not being as well versed in Australian cinema as I perhaps should be, much of their career work has escaped me, but <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i> is a virtuosic achievement of sound editing.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pzUi-DY1chw/WJn3qsVDsSI/AAAAAAAACDI/7oCDX1nI8FEn_0wW7OS_kYR3IN-AnInfACLcB/s1600/SndEd-La%2BLa%2BLand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pzUi-DY1chw/WJn3qsVDsSI/AAAAAAAACDI/7oCDX1nI8FEn_0wW7OS_kYR3IN-AnInfACLcB/s320/SndEd-La%2BLa%2BLand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>La La Land</i></b> – What to make of this nomination, then? It would be unfair to supervising sound editors Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou to dismiss this recognition as merely the love for the film carrying it places it otherwise would not be. After all, nominations are determined by peers within the branch, people who know what they are looking for (or listening to) and presumably are not easily impressed. I admit to being a little baffled by the nomination – though I did predict it – because sound editing did not immediately jump out to me as I watched the film. But then, my ear is not trained to listen for it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Iatrou is a first-time nominee, while Lee, who also served as a re-recording mixer, is a first-timer joining Mackenzie and Wright as a double nominee in both sound categories. I have no standing or basis for suggesting their work on this film is anything less than awards worthy, but for a film that is essentially wall-to-wall music, I just don’t know how anyone can tell one way or the other. In any event, good on Lee and Iatrou for breaking through that musical barrier.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e_0vsYGC0N4/WJn3tYoh-uI/AAAAAAAACDM/9DpsSkESdbQaXtdfrFyPfEgVxmsij0ZTwCLcB/s1600/SndEd-Arrival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e_0vsYGC0N4/WJn3tYoh-uI/AAAAAAAACDM/9DpsSkESdbQaXtdfrFyPfEgVxmsij0ZTwCLcB/s320/SndEd-Arrival.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Arrival</i></b> – Returning to a more traditional nominee in this category, <i>Arrival</i> is a big, science-fiction adventure movie that remembers to tell a human story in its quieter moments. Those are not the moments for which it is being recognized, most likely. It features a ton of army goings-on with the trucks and machinery scattered about, but its best moments are in the alien space ship, a completely new environment that must be constructed on the fly. The ship has the feel more of a living entity itself than of a cold transport vessel, and the sound is integral to that impression.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Supervising sound editor Sylvain Bellemare, a first-time nominee, is absolutely prolific. A quick glance at his IMDB page reveals more than 100 credits and more than 20 over just the past two years alone. I do not know Mr. Bellemare, but he does not seem to like having free time on his hands. In any event, his work on <i>Arrival</i> is admirable, but it is probably the least likely to win of the three Best Picture nominees cited here.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YLOaO2hMZ6A/WJn370CLJsI/AAAAAAAACDU/tVyxGxH3ugwQapYbl_8doKP9McDCOebAwCLcB/s1600/SndEd-Deepwater%2BHorizon%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YLOaO2hMZ6A/WJn370CLJsI/AAAAAAAACDU/tVyxGxH3ugwQapYbl_8doKP9McDCOebAwCLcB/s320/SndEd-Deepwater%2BHorizon%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Deepwater Horizon</i></b> – Director Pete Berg’s retelling of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster is by no means a complete film, but it is a good film, and its crafts are beyond reproach. From the recreation of the rig itself – an immense feat of production design and special effects – to the destruction of that rig, <i>Deepwater Horizon</i> is a masterclass in creating an environment for the screen. The sound design is, of course, part and parcel of that effort and one of the film’s many standout elements.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Supervising sound editor Wylie Stateman has been around forever. His first credit goes back to 1980, and he has picked up eight Oscar nominations along the way, his most recent coming for another Berg picture, <i>Lone Survivor</i>. Stateman has also been Quentin Tarantino’s sound editor of choice since the <i>Kill Bill</i> saga and picked up nominations for <i>Inglourious Basterds</i> and <i>Django Unchained</i>. This is co-nominee Renee Tondelli’s first recognition from the Academy, though she was the supervising dialogue and ADR editor on both <i>Lone Survivor</i> and <i>Django Unchained</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K6AdTyIYfc4/WJn31n8wkrI/AAAAAAAACDQ/8G0LrLnam0sFvLztTEInDO1vpAwNuEQ3wCLcB/s1600/SndEd-Sully.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K6AdTyIYfc4/WJn31n8wkrI/AAAAAAAACDQ/8G0LrLnam0sFvLztTEInDO1vpAwNuEQ3wCLcB/s320/SndEd-Sully.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><i>Sully</i></b> – Given Clint Eastwood’s track record with the Academy, it is surprising this film did not catch on more with voters. It is a classic meat-and-potatoes movie based on the true story of Sully Sullenberger and the “Miracle on the Hudson.” <i>Sully</i> is inspiring and well told and features a wonderful central performance from star Tom Hanks. It made a fair amount of money and is the kind of movie the Academy usually flocks to, but it got lost amid the end-of-year glut of awards prospects.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The crafts are solid all around, and the sound editing is right at the head of the class, particularly during the film’s imagining of the infamous plane crash in the Hudson River. Supervising sound editors Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman have 15 nominations and four Oscars between them. They shared Academy Award wins for their work on two previous Eastwood projects, <i>Letters from Iwo Jima</i> and <i>American Sniper</i>. The nomination will probably have to be the win here, but at least someone is carrying the flag for <i>Sully</i> at the ceremony.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h3>The final analysis</h3><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The clear, abiding popularity of <i>La La Land</i> notwithstanding, I won’t bet against the war film here. Even eventual Best Picture winner <i>Birdman</i>lost this category to <i>American Sniper</i>. The big Hollywood musical will take home many awards on Oscar night, including probably the Sound Mixing award, but it will not get this one. First, even in the years since the expansion of the top category, few Best Picture nominees have gone home empty-handed, and this is the most logical and likely place to reward <i>Hacksaw Ridge</i>. Second, historic as its Oscar presence is, I just do not see <i>La La Land</i> ending 50-plus years of musical futility here.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Will win:</b> Hacksaw Ridge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should win:</b>Hacksaw Ridge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Should have been here:</b> Moana<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Tomorrow: Best Sound Mixing</i><o:p></o:p></div>Anthony Barstowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11876549159302047260noreply@blogger.com0